Dusk
by T.R.T. L.ove
Summary: Dusk is a slash version of Twilight. Vale has moved to Forks to escape his abusive mother and memories of his deceased friend. When the mysterious Edward Cullen falls for him, and Vale is caught in between two conflicting histories, what will happen?
1. Safe

**If there was one word Vale could use to describe his life in Texas, he would say it was impossible. He would say you needed two words to describe it. They would be normal conditionally. Simple as that. El Paso, Texas was dull, uneventful, and boring. He lived his life like everyone else, quietly and privately, in the comfortable silence of his house. He attended the local high school, taking average classes and passing with average grades, like everyone else. He ran track, like most of the kids his age, and, like everyone else, when the day was over, he went home. Vale's day's were exactly like the days of those around him. He felt like he was stuck in giant circle of misery and boredom, with no way out. His routine was always the same, never faltering. And even though he dreaded getting up every morning and living the life he knew he could not escape, it was the worst, he had decided, when he was at home.**

"**VALE! WHERE THE FUCK HAVE YOU BEEN?! Came his mother's screeching voice as soon as the heavy wooden front door had fallen shut with a loud bang to broadcast Vale's arrival. The woman's loud shriek was still reverberating through the young teens ears as a tall, thin woman appeared at the archway to the kitchen of the small house. She had long, dark black hair with straight across bangs that rested upon her long, elegantly curled eyelashes. She had dark, almost navy blue eyes and a thin, straight nose. Her dark, blood red lips were curved into a sinister frown as she bore into her son. Her long, spidery fingers were curved around her hips, and she was tapping her black-painted finger nails to alert her son to her annoyance. The woman was beautiful, in her own way, and it was certainly a mystery to everyone who had never gotten to know her how she could possibly be single.**

"**Nice to see you, too, mother," he muttered under his breath. Vale took a deep breath and began taking slow strides to the staircase just behind the woman. She sneered.**

"**Don't you walk away from me!" she threatened in the most sinister undertone she could muster. Vale ignored her and continued toward his target. "I SAID DON'T YOU INGNORE ME!" she screeched before reaching out and clutching his arm, digging her long, sharpened nails into his flesh. She yanked his arm as hard as possible, successfully spinning him around to face her. She brought up her right hand and brought it down hard against his face. It left a long red marks where her fingers hit and there were now small slits where she had succeeded in digging her claws into his cheek.**

**Vale stared straight into her hate stricken eyes. He refused to look away from the woman. To do so would make it worse. To do so would be to acknowledge her presence. To do so would be to submit. Vale refused to submit. Not having enough, the woman smacked him again. Harder. Vale could feel the crimson blood trickling down his face. All of his senses were on hyper alert. He felt every last blow she was now hitting him with, adrenaline coursing through his veins. Finally, after he was sure the side of his face would be permanently purple, she spat at him. "Get the hell out of my face. Go to your room and don't come out." She thrust him toward the stairs, and without a second thought, Vale scrambled up to him room before she could change her mind.**

**He had to leave. He needed to get out of there. He couldn't take it anymore. Not the way his life droned on, or how everything had to be exactly perfect, and especially not his mother. As he contemplated just how he could get away from the sinister woman, he shuffled around his small cot to the cracked mirror he had found on the side of the road one day to examine the extent of damage the vile bitch had done. Staring back at him, with red-rimmed eyes, was a short, raven-haired boy with emerald green eyes and pale pink lips. His skin was pale, powdered white, like porcelain, and his features curved and soft. The boy was thin and petite, slight in frame with long, elegant, fragile-looking features. Yet, he did not appear feminine. He didn't exude masculinity either, but he was far from girly.**

**Vale ran his thin fingers through his long bangs that cut across his face and covered on eye partially. The rest of his hair was shaggy and long. As much of his appearance being inherited from his mother as was evident in him, Vale looked scarcely like her. He was glad for it, as he didn't want to resemble her. He never wanted to remember her once he left. He would rather be like his dad, tall, well-muscled, strong. His dad! And then he knew how he was going to escape.**

**Vale opened his white wooden door slightly so he could peer through the crack out into the hall. The sounds of fake laughter and mindless rambling came from the large TV downstairs, and the smell of tomato sauce wafted towards him. His mother was downstairs, cooking, and watching sitcoms, while he starved upstairs. How nice. He opened the door completely and crept down the hall, rushing past the staircase so his mother wouldn't see him. He took a deep breath when he reached the end of the hall and creaked open his mother's bedroom door. He crept inside and looked around to spot his target. There was a large, king sized bed sitting grandly in the middle of the room between two windows that were swathed in white curtains. Next to the bed was a short, black nightstand that was covered in pictures of everyone but himself, and… bingo.**

**The short teen shuffled over the antique bronze phone that was sitting pristinely in the center of the clutter. He picked up the receiver and began dialing his father in Washington.**

"**Hello?" came a groggy voice on the other line. His dad.**

"**Dad! Oh, I'm sorry, did I wake you up?" Vale's mood was already lifting.**

"**No, no, I was just napping… eh. What's up?"**

"**Dad, I need you to come pick me up." There was a short, pregnant silence between the two lines.**

"**Why? Isn't Daphne taking care of you? Why do you need me?" His father asked. Vale could hear it wavering, as hard as his dad tried to sound nonchalant.**

"**No, dad. I need to go with you. Just… please." His voice held a hopeless desperation. He didn't know how long he would be able to stand living with his mother. Recently, she hadn't been too terrible, only hitting him, but his back was littered with large purple bruises and long, deep gashes. There we even a few marks where it looked as though he had been beaten with a belt and welts were springing up all over.**

"**Sure, sure. I'll come get you. I'll be there tomorrow, It'll be okay." He reassured his son.**

"**Dad, but how…" Vale now openly wondered. How smart could his plan really be? "How are you going to get a ticket an everything such short notice?" Vale needed his father to get him as soon as possible, but it could take weeks. He should have done this a long time ago.**

"**Leave that to me. Your safety is much more important right now," he said. Vale could distantly hear his mother's heals clicking around below him. And then the creak of the first stair.**

"**Oh shit! Dad, I have to go, mom's coming! Bye!" He whispered urgently into the phone. He shoved it down quickly and sprinted to the door.**

"**VALE? WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU?" he saw through the door his mother peering into his room. Oh hell. He was screwed. Vale pulled open his mother's door, and dashed to the right down the hall to the bathroom. When he reached his destination, he threw himself inside and closed and locked the door.**

"**In the bathroom," came his muffled reply.**

"**I THOUGHT I TOLD YOU NOT TO LEAVE YOUR ROOM?" She yelled. He heard her heals clicking again, toward the bathroom, and then her fist pounding against the door.**

"**Would you like your house to smell like urine? I didn't have much a choice."**

"**DAMNIT, YOU UNGRATEFUL LITTLE BASTARD! GET YOUR ASS OUT HERE!' She commanded him. Vale sighed and turned on the tap, ran his hands under it, dried them on his jeans to create the illusion of really going to the restroom, and opened the door.**

**As soon as the cool air from the hall graced him, the warm tingling from his mother's palm stung the side of his face. He was going to play hell covering up today's damage tomorrow. Mostly covering up the bruises consisted of using make-up to cover up the redness and then a light bronzer to conceal the darker splotches. That had been the only thing his mother ever bought him. Make-up to cover her mistakes. He felt more blood running down his face. Vale sighed.**

"**That will teach you to listen to me!" She bellowed, took one last gut wrenching glance at him, and swiftly retreated to the kitchen.**

"**Bitch," he muttered, under his breath and walked quietly to his room. His hand subconsciously came up to cradle his face. It didn't hurt when she hit him anymore, but it wasn't pleasant anymore. It just stopped affecting him. He became used to the pain, the sting, and later, the covering up of bruises. It just didn't bother him anymore.**

**When he was safely inside the confines of his room, he closed the door as gently and silently as possible and pushed a chair in front of it. His mother had torn of the lock, but he could still keep her out when he needed. When he was sure it was securely shut, he grabbed the small black duffel bag he had bought with the money he had gotten from selling a long silver chain his father bought him and placed it on his bed. He unzipped it, and without hesitation, began cramming it full of every personal item he could think of, which wasn't much. His favorite book, a golden chain that was his grandmother's, 3 pairs of skinny jeans, one pair was dark wash, one black, and one a silvery light wash, his make-up, and a few of his favorite shirts. He didn't have anything else he really wanted, and he was already wearing his vest and tie. They were his favorite things, and he wore them constantly. He thought they looked nice, and different. Vale had always stood out from everyone else, and truth be told, it was the one thing he really enjoyed.**

**Once he had everything important stashed in his bag, he shoved it under his bed, kicked of his shoes and socks, and lay down. Tomorrow he would be on a plane to Washington with his dad, far away from his mother. He couldn't wait.**

**What time it was when he drifted off to sleep, Vale had no idea. All he knew was it was Saturday, and he must have slept in, judging by the sun that was now glaring into his eyes from his mud caked window. The green eyed boy sat up in bed and rubbed the sleep from his eyes, then wiped the drool from the side of his mouth. Today was the day, then. He would leave today, and go with his father.**

**Most of yesterday's cover-up was still caked onto his face and he only had to dab a little more powder on his cheek to cover up the newer bruises or the spots where his mother's blows had wiped it off.**

**Vale nearly fell of his bed when he heard the doorbell ring. Downstairs, he could hear his mother pull open the front door, and then his father as he forced his way inside. "PEANUT!" his father's voice called the nickname up the stairs. Now was the time. Vale snagged his bag from under his bed, threw the chair in front of the door to the side, and nearly flew out of his room and downstairs. When he reached the landing, he rushed to his father who pulled him into a rib-cracking hug.**

"**WHAT IS THIS?!" His mother shrieked. Vale smirked as his father glared at her.**

"**I'm taking Peanut home with me. He called me last night to ask me to pick him up. And, judging by his bruised face," his father ran a thumb over his cheek. Vale winced, "He had good reason."**

"**You noticed that?" Vale mumbled into the crook of his father's neck. He smelled nice, and wrapped in his arms, Vale felt safe for the first time in nearly 12 years. He had been 4 when his parents divorced and his mom won custody over him. But he had a feeling that was all about to change.**

"**How could I not?" His father mumbled back, "I can't wait until you're mine. I'll never let anyone hurt you again." The words filled Vale with a warm feeling of hope. Akin, his father, turned his head from his son and glared at his ex-wife.**

"**What?" she spluttered, "You can't! YOU CAN'T! I WON! I WON CUSTODY!"**

"**I know, Daphne," his father retorted coolly, "I made a mistake letting that happen. But I have authority now, and you can't stop me. I'm taking him. I'll let you know when the new trial will be."**

"**What authority," she snarled, "You have no less authority than he does!" She pointed angrily at Vale.**

"**Mother," Vale stated, ignoring the meaningful glances he was getting from his father that warned him to keep his mouth shut, "You can't do anything. I'm going to Forks with dad, and you can't stop us." Daphne looked thoroughly put out by this. Akin stared at her, daring her to object.**

**When Daphne started looking ready to kill again, Akin took a bold step forward and pushed Vale behind him. "I am a cop. I am taking Peanut. There is nothing you can do." He muttered with enough force to knock over an elephant.**

"**FINE! GO! I DON'T EVEN WANT HIM!" She finally announced. His father ushered Vale to the door then, and swept him through. **

"**It was nice to see you, Daphne," Akin muttered before slamming the door shut. He had a feeling the next insult she would throw would be toward Vale. He tried with all his might to protect him from anything else she could possibly say to him, but he had a sinking feeling that Vale had heard her scream, "HIS NAME ISN'T PEANUT! IT'S VALE! MISTAKE!" through the swiftly closing door.**

**The second Vale was loaded into the passenger seat and his bag was wedged between his feet, Akin turned to his son. "I heard her," Vale mumbled. "Mistake."**

**Akin's expression faltered. "Peanut, I'm so sorry."**

"**No, no, it's not your fault. She calls me it a lot," he confessed, "But why?" No one had ever told him why. Why his mother called him mistake and his father hated to call him Vale. Akin took a deep breath. He knew one day he would have to tell his son the truth, but he still didn't like it.**

"**Alright, here it goes," he began, launching into the tale, "When you were born, your mother said you were the biggest mistake she had ever made. To get pregnant with you. I still loved you, however, because I still loved her. I was blind to her hatred for me, and we lived like this, in solitude, for 5 years. When she named you Vale, she told me it was Estonian for blessing." Vale remembered. His mother's parents were from Estonia.**

"**Excuse me? Since when did she think I was a blessing?"**

"**She never did. Vale means mistake, or zero. I didn't know. I would have changed it…"**

"**No, dad, it's not your fault." He assured the shaken man. "You don't have to tell me any more," he added when he noticed the man was on the verge of tears.**

"**Thanks, peanut." He sniffed. Vale smile fondly. His dad glanced down at his meager bag. "Where's all your stuff?" He questions, rubbing his eyes.**

"**I don't have much, dad. Only the clothes you bought me and a few things from David."**

"**But how can you fit all of it in that little bag? How many clothes do you have?" His dad looked worried as he started the car and blazed down the empty freeway.**

"**I have 3 pairs of jeans and about 5 shirts. And grandma's chain," he added. "And a book David gave me for Christmas. The catcher in the Rye? I like it a lot."**

"**Oh, yeah, how is David?" his father asked. He remembered Vale's friend from the last time he visited. Vale's eyes dropped to his hands, which he began wringing nervously.**

"**Dead."**

"**Excuse me?!" his dad did a double take.**

"**He was murdered last year," Vale drifted into the story, "He found his brother in an alley, being stabbed to death. Neck was slit. He was already dead, but David didn't know, and found the killer. His parents told me he asked the killer to kill him instead. He did. Only it wasn't instead. It was more like 'kill me too.'" Akin looked shocked as he stared at his son, wide-eyed. A deer in the headlights.**

"**I went to his funeral, got beat pretty bad for being late by mom, but it was worth it. He looked so pale, but also different. Like," Vale thought he would sound a little gay saying this, "hotter. That sounded faggish." Akin chuckled slightly, but nervously, at his son. He had the suspiscion that his son may be bisexual, if not gay. "And he was freezing cold." he added.**

**Feeling the need to comfort his son, Akin pulled the boy in for a one-armed hug. "Thanks for telling me," he said. "Must've been hard. I'm sorry you had to go through that."**

"**It's okay. Don't apologize. Not your fault," Vale mumbled back.**

"**Yeah," Akin said awkwardly, "Well, about your clothes, I don't have much money, but maybe we can see if we can't find you anything more to wear."**

"**Dad, really, you don't have to…"**

"**But I want to, peanut. This is the beginning of a new life, a better life. I want you to be happy, and have everything. And I won't let money get in the way." As his father talked, Vale noticed they had long since passed the airport.**

"**Uh, dad? Sorry to change the subject, but where are we going?" Akin looked over at his son sheepishly.**

"**Like I told you," he said, "I don't have much money. I couldn't afford plane tickets for both of us, so we're driving. But we can use the time to catch up, eh?" He asked hopefully.**

"**3 days in a car with you?" Vale confirmed. Akin looked beaten down t his son's words.**

"**Sorry, Peanut, I should have borrowed money, I-"**

"**No, dad, don't apologize," he smiled at the man next to him, "It's great." And he meant it.**

**The car trip passed quicklier than Vale had expected. The two men talked, joked, laughed, and discussed how Vale's life had been, and about the impending trial. His father had assured him that so long as Vale still wished to testify against his mother and would show the scars and bruises she had given him, there really was no chance she would regain custody. Vale was interested in hearing what his dad had to say, and enjoyed hearing about the odd things he ran into, being a cop, but the conversations that stuck out most in his mind were the ones about how life in Forks, Washington, where his father lived, was going to be like. For the most part, he thought he would enjoy it. Vale had always loved the rain, and Akin had assured him that it rained nearly everyday. Plus, Vale had deduced it was relatively small, and had turned his father down on the offer to ride to school on the pretense that he would walk instead to replace all the track practices he would miss. There was no track team in Forks.**

"**You'll love it, son. Rains all the time, real small and friendly. The kids there are nice, a few of them give me a fair amount of trouble, but it's nice nonetheless."**

**Vale spent very little of the car trip asleep, so it didn't surprise him that when they finally arrived in the sleepy little town of Forks, all he wanted to do was crawl into a hole and fall into a coma for a few weeks. Akin pulled into the driveway of a two story brick house that was blanketed by bare trees. Vale loved it. "Your room is that one," Akin pointed to one of the windows on the right. The house was perfectly symmetrical. "Mine's the one on the left. And we share a bathroom," he informed his son.**

"**Dad, this house is amazing. I love it." Vale smiled brightly.**

"**I know it's not what you're used to, but I've told you I can't afford much…"**

"**Dad." Vale looked very seriously over at his father. "Is there a bed with a proper mattress in that room?" Akin stared stunned at his son and nodded. "Than it's better than anything I've ever had." Akin looked shocked for a minute, but then understanding flooded his features. And he smiled.**

"**I'm glad you like it here." Akin admitted. The two got out of the car, Vale hoisting his bag out as well and took the liberty of tearing a branch off one of the trees while his dad unlocked the house. "What are you doing with that tree?" his father chuckled, leaning against the door frame and twirling his key ring around his index finger.**

"**Decoration. I like the way the tree looked," Vale shrugged and shuffled up the stone steps to his father. Akin ruffled his son's hair and allowed him inside. Vale took a quick look around. To his left was a small living room with a flat-screen TV sitting proudly in front of an old ratty couch and a tattered coffee table. To his left was a bright kitchen, and in front of him a tall staircase. "Dad, this is really nice," he said. Akin scratched the back of his neck nervously.**

"**You like it?"**

"**Jesus Christ, dad, how many times do I have to tell you, everything is amazing. Thanks." Vale smiled at his father. "Hey, I'm tired, I'm gonna go take a nap, okay?"**

"**Sure, son, me too. That car trip took a lot out of you, huh?"**

"**Yeah."**

"**Me too. Here, let me show you your room. It's not the same as it was the last time you visited… I replaced a few things over the years. It's embarrassing…"**

"**No, dad, it's not, what did you do?"**

"**Every couple of years I fixed it up a little… I always hope you might come back and I wanted to be ready." Vale rushed at his father then, and pulled him into a gut-wrenching hug. And then he cried so hard, he thought he would never stop. He loved his dad. And he was sure now he was safe. No one would ever lay a hand on him again.**

"**Hey, hey, why don't I show you?" Akin soothed as he rubbed his son's back. This little miracle in his hands.**

"**Sure, dad, thanks," Vale sniffed. Akin led him up the stairs to the bedroom on the right. Vale immediately noticed the window in front that overlooked the street and the tree that cast a sillouhette against the sharp, clear glass pane. There was another window on the side wall that only showed trees upon trees. One branch knocked against the glass. He loved it. In the center of the room, against the back wall, was a queen size bed made of dark wood with a dark black comforter and bright orange pillows. It looked like Halloween. Against it about 5 feet from the window was a desk made of the same wood as the bed. There was a dresser on the opposite side of the bed, but that was the only furniture in the room. The chair to the desk had an orange seat and the carpet was white, but had a plush orange and black speckled carpet. The walls were painted bright blue. It was the most amazing room Vale had ever been in. It was so minimal. "Oh my god…" Vale said and pulled himself from his father's grasp to inspect the furniture. "Dad, how did you afford this?"**

"**Actually, that's a story. I have a friend here in town, Dr. Carlisle Cullen? He saw me buying a twin bed from Waylin and offered me his son's old furniture. I turned him down, but he brought it over anyway. Didn't even charge me. That man is amazing, he is."**

"**He sounds extremely nice."**

"**He is. His kids don't give me any trouble." Akin smiled at the thought.**

"**I'm sure they don't… Dad, you knew my favorite colors. Where did you get this stuff?"**

"**Ah, well, the comforter and pillows and rug were Jacob's, you know the Blacks? Think you dated Jacob… Guess he likes orange and Black, too." Vale nodded in recognition of Jacob. He used to date him. He noticed then that the comforter looked tattered and worn in some places. The bed, however, looked completely new, like no one had ever even touched it. There was even a thin layer of dusk collecting on the wood. Dr. Cullen's son, he realized, must take really good care of his items, if he even used them. There was an alarm clock on the desk, also. It was silver, and stood out from the rest of the room, yet seemed to co-exist with the wood furniture. "I collected the whole room over the course of a year."**

"**Dad, thank you," Vale smiled and turned to his dad. "It's amazing."**

"**Glad you like it, Peanut. Get some rest. You start school tomorrow."**

"**Aw, shit, I remember. Jeez, and on a Wednesday too. Okay, well…"**

"**Hey, I have to head out early tomorrow, so there's cereal in the kitchen and you can borrow my shampoo and things until we get your own. Oh! And there are toothbrushes under the sink…."**

"**Dad, thanks, but I can fend for myself, okay? I have been for twelve years."**

"**Yeah, I guess you're right," he yawned. "Night, peanut. I'm glad I have you back."**

"**Me too. Night, Dad." Vale smiled warmly. When Akin was gone, Vale placed his tree branch on the desk straight up so it looked like a miniature tree in his room. It was the most beautiful, amazing, perfect thing he had every seen. He sat down on the edge of his bed. Tomorrow was going to be a long day. He lay down and stared at the ceiling, thinking of just how great things were turning out, until he fell asleep. Before he drifted off, he decided, if there was one word Vale could use to describe his new life in Forks, it would be safe.**


	2. The Cullens

Vale woke up to the pitter-patter of rain on his window and the songs of crickets playing in his room. Groaning, he turned to the digital clock his father had placed on the desk. It was 6:30 in the morning. School started at 8:00. He pulled himself from his cocoon of blankets and stumbled to the bathroom. His father had left a note, and Vale had to try three times to pick it up with his sleep-numb fingers.

Peanut -

You don't have a jacket, do you? I left my old one on the kitchen table. I'm sorry you have to walk in the rain, so maybe this will help. It won't really protect your head or anything, but you shouldn't catch a cold now. I won't be home until around seven or eight tonight, so you can eat out or there's cereal, I think. Well, you can take care of yourself. If you go out, don't stay out long.

-Dad

He loved his dad, he really did, but he couldn't care less that it was raining and really, he doubted he would go out on the first day of school. He doubted he would even make any friends to go out with. It was nice he cared so much, though. When Vale finished his shower and brushed his teeth, he carelessly dried his hair with the towel he used to dry himself off and wrapped the damp thing around his waist. He then stumbled back to his room in the dark and shielded his eyes from the blinding light when he turned his bedroom lamp on. Since he hadn't unpacked anything yet, he pulled out the pair of dark-wash skinny jeans and a bright red t-shirt with long sleeves from in his black duffel bag. It had what appeared to be gold paint splatters all over it. It was one of his favorite shirts. His grandma's golden chain was hastily fastened around his slender neck, and he pulled a silver metal swiss army pocket knife from the jeans he wore yesterday and took a long slash at his exposed wrist. Even if there was no point to it anymore, he had to admit. He was addicted like a chain smoker to cigarettes. He rolled up the sleeves to hit his elbows and walked back to the bathroom, where he admitted to himself that it was extremely stupid to have just done that as he pulled white gauze from under the sink. He bandaged the new gash and took the liberty to cover a few of the pinker scars. He'd rather people see bandages than gashes. Then started covering up the bruises on his face with the cover-up he had left in the bathroom before he showered. Deeming it passable, he trumped back to his room and threw the pocket knife onto his bed. He figured it was around 7:15 now, and he had to figure out just where exactly the school was still, so he jumped down the stairs two at a time and directed himself to the kitchen where he found a black leather jacket. He had to admit, his dad had a good sense of style. And it would cover up his arms. That was lucky. Vale rummaged through the pantry before settling on a pack of twizlers and shoved them in his jacket pocket, and then ran for the door to begin his walk. Hanging on the handle was a tan canvas messenger bag. "Thanks, dad," he muttered to himself as he threw it over his shoulder and unlocked the door. And then he was off.

It was freezing, pouring, and windy. It was at that moment that Vale thanked jesus for his father's jacket as he walked down the deserted road in the direction of town. He had walked what felt like 15 minutes when a green pick-up truck pulled over beside him. Ignoring it, he continued walking, but he heard voices behind him so he sped up. "Hey!" called a voice that sounded like that of a girl. When he didn't repond, she called again, and this time chucked a pebble at his head. Annoyed, Vale turned around.

"What?" he called back, making sure to sound ticked off.

"You need a ride?" He noticed that she wasn't alone. There were 3 of them, two girls and a tall-looking guy. The bitch who threw a pebble at him had long, straight blond hair and was wearing the shortest skirt he had ever seen with a pink tank top. He wondered how she wasn't freezing her ass off in weather like this. The other girl was wearing practical clothes and had on green Capri pants and a short-sleeve black t-shirt with a white hoodie. She had short brown hair that was cut longer in the front than in the back, and had a slightly oriental look to her. The guy, a blonde, was wearing loose fitting jeans and a blue polo. The brunette girl looked nice enough, and the guy looked like sort of a jerk.

"Uh, sure, why not?" he decided, figuring as much as he thought he would regret it later, he would rather not walk in the rain anymore and started back toward the car. "Who are you?" he asked. The girl smiled at him and giggled.

"Oh, I'm Anna and this is LeAnne. And he's Michael," she jerked her thumb toward the guy. "We saw you walking and we figured you must be new here, since we've never seen you."

"Is this town that small?" he questioned her when he reached where they were parked and where Anna was leaning out the window. She flashed brilliantly white teeth and twirled a piece of her hair.

"Yeah, sort of," she giggled. Vale had decided she was annoying by that time. "What's your name?" she asked.

"Vale," he muttered. He really hated his name. Why hadn't he lied? He really hoped no one would think to google what it meant. He doubted anyone spoke Estonian.

"Oh! That's so pretty! Is it another language? What does it mean?" It was then that LeAnne, the brunette, spoke up.

"It means mistake, or zero." she whispered to her friend. Vale did a double take, and Anna frowned.

"You speak Estonian?" he asked her curiously. She nodded and blushed. He decided he liked her. She didn't look like a self-obsessed prat. "Well, yeah, you're right. My mother named me. My father is Akin, the cop," Vale added. They might as well know where the hell he came from. Michael spoke.

"Your dad hates me," he grinned, "Says I give him too much trouble. Guess he'll be surprised we're friends, eh?" Vale was sorely tempted to say he wasn't Michaels friend, but decided against it.

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Anna said, trying to steal Vale's attention back, "Let's go! We'll be late." She pulled open the passenger door and then looked at Vale. "There isn't any room. LeAnne sits in the middle and Michael drives, so you and I will have to squeeze in." She smirked at him. Her flirting was seriously getting on his nerves, but he decided to have some fun and screw with her. He could tell her about his sexuality later. Everyone stared at him expectantly, so Vale stepped around her when she jumped out to allow him room and sat down in the center of the seat.

"That's cool, you can sit on my lap," he said as sexily as possible, to which she giggled and nearly dove into his arms.

"Great!" she yelled enthusiastically as she slammed the door shut. His backpack was sitting at his feet along with everyone else's. Michael shot a glare Vale's way, as if he was offended he got Anna to sit on his lap, to which Vale fake gagged and winked. Michael's mood brightened considerably. Well, he wasn't too stupid then, to get what he was trying to convey. He wondered how many of his jokes the guy would get, though. A lot of his jokes were for smart people. He decided to see just how smart he could possibly be by trying out an array of offensive gestures toward the slut that was seated a bit to comfortably in his lap. Anna sat totally oblivious to the chuckling the two boys were trying to surpress throughout the entire ride to school, because every time Michael glanced over at Vale, he would gag. Okay, so maybe this Michael wasn't so bad.

The school could have quite possibly been the tiniest thing he had ever seen. It consisted of a total of five buildings, a small parking lot, and what looked like a miniature football field. "Would you all mind showing me around?" Vale decided to ask. He just prayed Michael or LeAnne would show him instead of Anna, whom he now deemed the slut.

"Sure!" Anna replied cheerfully! "Here, Mikey, would you pull up to the office so we can get him his schedule?" Vale groaned. Oh shit. He was not going to be able to handle a full day of her.

"Yeah, hang on, baby," he smiled over at her, then winked at Vale. Vale stifled a laugh. They pulled up to the side of the building, and Anna opened the door. Once she had gracefully hopped out, Vale pulled himself free and joined her to walk to the door. The lady who gave him his schedule was extremely nice to him, and if he didn't know better, he thought she might have a thing for him. She was in her 20s, so it wasn't so creepy, but it was still awkward.

"Oooh! Let me see!" She snatched the crisp white paper from his hands. Her smile faltered. "Oh no! We only have one class together! And it's gym! We'll hardly see each other!" She turned to him, frowning, devastated. She looked at him expectantly, like she was waiting for him to voice his discontent.

"Uh…" he tried, "Oh no?" It sounded like more of a question.

"Oh no is right!" She hadn't picked up on his tone, "Because Mike and LeAnne have the same schedules as me! We won't get to see you until last period!" Vale frowned at her, then took back his schedule and walked toward the car.

"Well, we have lunch." He said sarcastically. He doubted he would go within 15 feet of that girl. Anna just huffed.

"Hey, so is your schedule good?" Mike asked as the two got back into the car. Vale decided to let Anna talk for him.

"No! he only has gym with us!" the slut exclaimed as Mike pulled into the parking lot. He snagged a spot near the sidewalk that led to all the buildings. Vale could only guess it was so they wouldn't all be soaked when they got back in the car. He assumed he would be getting a ride home.

"It's not that bad," Vale admitted.

"No, it's awful!"

"So, what's your first class?" LeAnne asked him, trying to keep Anna from eating Vale alive. Vale would have to thank her later.

"Uh, trigometry."

"Oh, that's Building A. Your schedule should tell you the building and the room number." she smiled at him, then pointed out all the buildings. "That's Building A, to the right is B, and then the cafeteria. Then to the right of the cafeteria is the gym, and we just came from the office, which is right next to it." As she spoke, Vale tried to memorize where everything was.

"Great, got it. Thanks." he smiled at her. "Uhm, I'm gonna go now," he informed the group. "I'll see you guys…" Anna pulled open the door and hopped out for him, and LeAnne tossed him his backpack.

"Bye!" they called, Anna's perky voice overpowering the rest. Vale shook his head and headed through the rain to trig.

He was one of the first ones to class, which he decided he liked. He only hoped that meant he could pick where he sat and that he could stay under the radar. He would rather not have everyone ogle over him. There was only one person in the class, and tall muscular teen with bronze hair. He was the hottest guy Vale had ever layed eyes on, and in that moment he was glad he was bisexual. The boy was sitting, staring at the wall, and he appeared to be lost in thought. His chin was rested on his hand. He had sharp features and he was deathly pale. "Ah, Mr. Swan, the office informed me of your arrival. You're early," the teacher flashed him a warm smile. He glanced down at his schedule. Mr. Monroe. "Great, great! Well, why don't you take a seat by Mr. Cullen?" Well, he didn't get to pick his seat, but sitting next to that guy wasn't awful, either.

"Uh, sure," he answered, and, assuming "Mr. Cullen" was the one he had noticed early, headed over to the empty seat beside him. The teen tensed as Vale came near. "Hey," Vale waved, attempting to make friendly conversation. When the boy didn't respond, Vale tried a different approach. "I'm Vale, I'm new." The boy still didn't respond. Deciding it was better to take the hint and stop trying, Vale rolled his eyes and muttered under his breath, "Fine, be like that." He had to admit, it was childish, and the boy must have herd, because Vale could have sworn he saw him smile. It faded quickly, though, and he watched, stunned, and the Cullen boy scooted his chair as far away from Vale as possible and sat on the extreme edge of his seat, his expression rigid. One pale hand one clutching the side of the desk for dear life and the other was fisting under the table. Vale widened his eyes slightly, then turned away. Whatever was wrong with this kid, it didn't look good. The bell rang, and almost instantaneously, kids began filing into the cramped classroom. It was getting a little warm, Vale noticed, and watched as Mr. Monroe flipped the switch to the fan. When it finally hit Vale, he sighed in relief. The boy, however, tensed worse, and glared at him as though Vale had just punched him.

Vale felt like he should punch this kid. He wanted to turn around and demand what his problem was, but he resisted. The Cullen boy looked lethal. And, as if punctuating his thoughts, Vale watched in shock as the kid's nails dug into the hard plastic surface. Holy shit! Trigometry passed like this, with Vale trying desperately to pay attention to everything Mr. Monroe was saying while he watched as the holes from the boy's nails dug deeper into the desk. The moment the second bell rang, the boy was gone, leaving Vale to wonder what just happened.

The rest of Vale's morning classes were uneventful. Other than getting loaded with pointless homework and being forced to carry around loads of text books, he didn't do much work in the classes. He figured out that this was a "lecture" school, one of the ones where the teachers assign the classwork for homework and spend the school hours "explaining." He didn't see the blonde-brunnete kid again. And when lunch came, he really didn't feel like facing the jock, the slut, and Asian. He decided to skip lunch in the cafeteria and instead headed toward the gym and turned to camp out between the gym and the office. When he got there, however, he saw the last thing he expected. Standing there was two girls and two guys, all of whom were strikingly beautiful and who bore a resemblance to the boy from trig. They appeared to be having a hushed conversation, and not wanting to intrude, Vale attempted to back up out of the alley. Unfortunately, he backed up directly into a swiftly moving object that felt unnaturally hard and hit him with the force of a speeding bull. He lost his balance and instead of successfully escaping, he fell flat onto his face. Of course, everyone turned to stare at him, and he knew this was not a good situation. There were two girls, one of them tall, slender, and beautiful with long golden hair and the other short and slight with black hair and a short pixie cut. Then, there were two boys, one tall, well muscled, and blonde, and the other a blonde as well, but smaller with leaner muscles. Instinctively, Vale turned his head up to catch a glimpse of what he had run into, and came face to face with the boy from trigometry. "Oh, jesus, I'm s-so s-sorry, I didn't-t m-mean to… I was just going to eat lunch out here-" The boy from trig glared at Vale. That was the last straw. And it was as if a fuse had bee lit within Vale. "GOD FUCKING DAMNIT, WHAT IS YOUR PROBLEM?" He demanded. He had had enough of this charade. The pale teen snarled.

"You." He answered simply. Then his expression softened, as if he felt bad for being so rude, "Go inside, Vale. You'll catch a cold in the rain." Wait, how did he know his name? Oh, yeah, right. In trigometry, "Hey. I'm Vale, I'm new."

"S-so?" Aw, fuck stuttering. He didn't give, though.

"So, I don't think your father would be happy if you got sick." It was almost caring in the way he said it.

"Right," Vale said, a confused look on his face, and he finally gave, heading to the cafeteria. When he was gone around the corner, the Cullen boy's eyes lingered a little too long on the spot where Vale had just been. This did not go unnoticed by the short girl with the pixie cut.

"You care for him, Edward. But if you keep pushing him away because you're scared you'll loose control, he'll never know, and you'll never get your chance." She spoke, and placed her hand on her brother's shoulder from behind.

The beautiful blonde girl rolled her eyes and bore her pearly teeth. "He's a human, a worthless human. He's not even handsome." The muscular boy grabbed her before she could say more. The slightest, blonde Cullen grimaced at the emotion rolling from his siblings.

"It doesn't matter," he murmured. "He shouldn't be with a monster like me. He's a singer. I'll hurt him." And if he could cry, Edward was sure he would be sobbing right now.

As soon as he entered the nearly empty cafeteria, he was glomped by someone.

"Vale! Baby, we were so worried!" Aw, great. Anna.

"Uh, sorry, I ran into a few people on my way here," then he laughed nervously. "Literally." Michael, who was towering over the pair on the floor, laughed.

"Who?" he questioned. Vale frowned.

"That's the problem. I'm not sure who it was. There were 5 of them three guys and two girls. They were all really pale but, like, stunningly gorgeous." He replied as he and Anna stood up and brushed off.

"Oh! Honey, those are the Cullens. Don't mind them, they keep away from everyone." Anna said, patting Vale on the back.

"Right…" he said, "But who are they?"

Anna nearly snarled in disgust. "They're Dr. Cullen's adopted kids. The short girl with the Pixie cut, she's Alice. And the scrawny blonde one is Jasper. And the pretty blonde girl is Rosalie. But Rosalie and Jasper didn't take Dr. Cullen's last name. They're the Hales." Vale nodded. "And the other blonde guy is Emmet. But it's gross, because they're dating. And they're brother and sister. Emmet with Rosalie and Jasper and Alice." Vale looked at her.

"Yeah, I know right?"

"Well," Vale tried, "Who's the other one? I think he hates me," Vale mused.

"Oh! That's Edward! Don't be offended or anything, he's just like that." Alice said, brightening. "He's the hottest. But, like, he isn't with anyone. Apparently no one here is pretty enough for him. Don't waste your time. Although, you're a boy, so you wouldn't try anyway." She snickered. Vale shifted in place.

Sensing his discomfort, LeAnne changed the subject. "So, did you all get anything Mrs. Henderson said during sci-tech?" She asked conversationally. Vale smiled at her, and kept to himself the rest of lunch. He still wondered what it was exactly Edward had against him, but he put it at the back of his mind. He only had to deal with him first period, right?

The rest of the day passed extraordinarily uneventfully. Literature was painfully torturous, but only because the teacher wasn't bashful in voicing her awful opinion on the book they were assigned to read, the Catcher in the Rye. Lucky Vale. That was it, though. Even gym wasn't much of a spectacle. They played dodge ball, Vale was out right away, if not first, and then he walked with Michael, Anna, and LeAnne, who purposely forfitted the game of dodge ball to sit with him, back to the car. They invited him to the diner with them, and after actually considering getting out, Vale turned them down, deciding he would rather go home and think about "The Cullens." Anna continued to badmouth them the entire car trip back to Vale's house, but the only one he cared about was Edward. What was his problem?

Back at home, Vale dropped his back near the front door, neglecting the homework he had been given to go up and relax on his bed. When he got up there, he closed and bolted the door, then plopped down and wrapped himself into a cocoon of orange and black. He fell asleep that way, worrying about Edward, and didn't wake until early the next morning.

"Hey! Vale!" Michael called when Vale finally made it out of the house, munching on the twizlers he had neglected yesterday. Today he was wearing his All Time Low t-shirt and his black skinny jeans, and a pair of ratty black converse he had worn everyday now for about three years. He would need a new paiir soon, and it was a miracle he wasn't grown out of them. Vale waved slightly and trotted over to the passenger seat, today throwing his backpack in the trunk before swinging into the car and ending up on Anna's lap. She giggled and pushed him out of the car again so they could switch places. He had to admit, these three were growing on him.

"Hey, Michael, 'sup?" He greeted cheerfully. Vale had decided he might as well act happy around these people. They had that affect on him. Made him feel like a real person and not a nobody. Michael chuckled.

"So Mr. Grump-I'm not fucking talking to anyone is speaking?" he joked. Vale nodded and snapped into another bright red twizler. LeAnne swiped at the bag and succeeded in snatching two.

"Hey! Share!" she giggled and slurped one up. Wow. LeAnne sure had a lot of personalities.

"I see I'm not the only different one today." he stuck his tongue out playfully at the brunette. She did the same. After offering the bag to Anna and Michael and ending up with a considerable amount less of candy, Vale began sobering. The car trip passed then, with Michael and LeAnne joking, Anna giggling, and Vale munching on his licorice thoughtfully.

They went through the same routine as the day before. Michael parked in the same space, and they headed to building B while Vale shuffled through the rain to trigometry. He had a little trouble finding it this time, it being only his second day, and arrived in class after everyone has already filed in. It was then that the entire teenage population of Forks, Washington noticed that there was a new kid in town. Vale sighed. Well, it had to happen eventually. He made his way to his seat next to Edward Cullen, ignoring the staring eyes and giggling girls, the random and scattered, "heys!" and the occasional flirting girl. They were pretty, a lot of them, but none of them stood out. He kept his head down and stared at the floor, then nearly tripped into his chair. Edward wasn't there. Vale sorely hoped he got sick standing in the rain yesterday. Deciding he wouldn't be able to stand the entire class period with everyone staring at him, he looked up and glanced around at everyone in the class before waving shyly. Apparently this must be the international symbol for, "leave me alone now," because everyone looked away from him then. It was going to be a long day.


	3. Olivia

Even though everyone had soon found something more interesting than "the new kid," one girl couldn't seem to keep her eyes off him. She was the prettiest girl he had seen in Forks, that he had noticed yesterday. But she wasn't conventional pretty. She was short, shorter than Vale, even, but still a good height. She was thin and flat-chested with long, shiny black hair that fell into loose curls at the ends and hit her at about the waist. She wasn't pale, instead tanner than most people in forks and she had light blue, almost grey eyes. Her features were long and thin, and she was curvy, yet slender. Her cheeks had a rosy tint, and she had the whitest smile he had ever seen. Her lips were rosy pink and her face a classic heart shape. She was beautiful. And she wasn't like every other girl. She was like Vale, different. She was wearing a loose fitting black, pleated school-girl mini-skirt over a pair of gold tights, with a pair of velvety-looking black ballet flats. She had on a gold, slouchy t-shirt that drooped around the neck and was wrinkled around the middle with spaghetti straps. She kept looking over at Vale, who kept glancing over at her. Finally, he spoke. "Hey, I'm Vale," he whispered to her and extended her hand. She shook it.

"Olivia," she replied, and smiled at him. "I'm sorry, by the way, for staring, but you're…"

"Different? Yeah. You are too."

"Yeah, that's not to common in Forks…" she laughed. "Oh! I hope this doesn't come across as random or rude, but I'm a lesbian," she informed him, "I only said that because-"

"No, no! It's fine! I'm bi." He said. Well, they could still be friends if he couldn't date her, "And you are gorgeous. But I don't usually swing that way. Once." Would have been twice with Olivia, the first time with Amber. She had been a god awful bitch. Vale liked Olivia. She seemed like the kind of girl he could get along with well without hormones getting in the way.

"Oh, yeah?" she asked, genuinely curious.

"Yeah, yeah," he nodded. Their hushed conversation continued undetected. "Hey, so guessing by what you've said," Vale waved his hands, though discreetly, to emphasize his point, "What brings you to Forks?"

"Oh, I'm a foster kid," she replied coolly, no shyness in her voice. Total confidence. "But my foster parents, Greg and Kathy Simon, we moved here from Phoenix. I've been with them since I was 14." Deciding to be polite and not inquire more, Vale nodded kindly.

"That's awesome. I moved here with my dad, two days ago, actually."

"Hey great!" she smiled. "Would you like to do something today? We could get something to eat and I could get to know you?" she suggested. Vale decided that sounded good. But he would need a ride. He doubted Michael would give him a ride without inviting himself. He was just that kind of person.

"Yeah, sure, why not?" Vale smiled at her. "But I've been getting a ride from, do you know Michael?" He could see the name register.

"Yeah, I do. He's nice," she grinned. "Well, I wish I could give you a ride, but I don't have a car…" Vale brightened.

"Oh! Really? Me either! We can walk. Are you up for that, I mean?" Vale really hoped she was. He missed track.

"Yeah, yeah, sounds great. Can we meet in the office? After school?" Vale agreed enthusiastically. They ended their conversation there, both excited and unable to wait. The day seemed to progress quicker than ever, and Vale forgot about Edward and his absence. Lunch passed without incident, Anna chattering away while Vale nodded and smiled. What Anna didn't know was that Vale was smiling at Olivia two tables away, who was smiling in turn at him. Gym was dodge ball again, and Vale actually made an attempt to do well today. He ended up learning two things during gym; First, that he was extremely good at dodge ball. He was the second to last one out, and only because it was Michael on the other team. The second thing he learned was the coach was the biggest dick he had ever met. He was constantly blowing the little silver whistle that hung around his neck, and he seemed to have taken an immediate dislike to Vale. The black-haired teen ignored him as best he could, but you can only ignore someone so much while they're blowing a whistle in your ear. Finally, he snapped.

"WILL YOU STOP BLOWING THAT THINK IN MY FUCKING EAR?!" he exploded after a particularly nasty sneer the coach shot his way while he sounded his whistle. The coach looked stunned and backed away. Vale stepped forward. "Look, what the hell is your problem with me? Did I do something?" It was then the coach regained his confidence.

"Listen hear," he threatened, "Don't get cocky in my class. You're my student. And if I say you did something wrong, you did something wrong. Got it?" Vale frowned. He knew what this was about. Vale was new, he wasn't a cocky little jock who preformed to the asshole's every whim, and it probably didn't help that Vale dressed a bit more -awkwardly- than his classmates.

"No, I don't got it. And if I want to be cocky, I'll do as I damn well please." Vale retorted icily. The bell rang, but everyone stayed glue to the gym. No one even breathed. "Well, look at that. Looks like I'm not your student anymore. So how about this," Vale smiled grimly, "Fuck you." And he turned on his heal and walked out of the gym, leaving everyone else wondering what exactly was running through the new kid's mind. Michael was the first one to breath. He walked briskly from the gym, and with his intrusion in the silence, everyone followed.

"Hey! HEY!" Michael called at Vale's form. Vale turned around, smiling wider than Michael had ever seen. He knew that he would pay tomorrow in gym, but right now all wanted to do was get to Olivia.

"Yeah?" he asked, out of breath. Michael ran up to him and put out his hand for a high-five.

"Man! That was sick!" he exclaimed. Vale beamed.

"Hey, thanks." he said. Then he noticed all the students that were filing out of the school and he remembered Olivia. "Hey, I'm meeting this girl, Olivia? We're going out. So I don't need a ride today. But thanks," he said, and without waiting for a reply, Vale sprinted off toward the office, leaving a very confused Michael to wonder what happened.

"Hey!" Olivia smiled brightly when Vale sprinted up to her. "Ready to start walking then?" Vale pulled her into a hug she didn't expect. Olivia chuckled.

"Yup! Oh, I haven't taken a good walk since I came," he confessed. "I tried! I did, but then Anna and Michael and LeAnne found me."

"Great! Well, let's go then!" Olivia reached over took Vale's hand in her own. The two walked happily away from the school then, ignoring the rain that pelted them.

"I told you, he would be better off with someone else, anyone but me," Edward sighed sadly to his sister, Alice. Edward watched as Vale and the girl, Olivia from his trigonometry class, walked away from the crowded school, hand in hand. Alice patted Edward on the back.

"Edward, Vale isn't with Olivia."

"How do you know? They're acting pretty friendly to me," Edward retorted. Alice laughed.

"Why, dear brother, are you jealous?" she snickered behind her palm. Edward scowled. "Olivia is gay!" Alice said, realizing how put down her brother was. Edward did a double take.

"Excuse me?"

"Vale and Olivia are just friends," came Alice's tinkling voice, "They're going to be best friends, but nothing more. Well, we all will be, actually. Back to the point, Edward, Vale needs you. You saw it yourself!" He turned around to face his sister.

"I am not going to put Vale in danger. Alice, I won't be able to control myself." Alice shook her head.

"Hide all you want, Edward. Doesn't make anything easier. Vale's number is up. He died the minute you met him. He's your mate now, and there's no avoiding what will happen. You can leave him alone, but you're just killing him faster, and this way, you don't get to keep him." she stated, and then skipped back through the forest near Forks High School toward home.

"I won't put you in danger," Edward muttered to himself as he watched Vale laugh and joke with Olivia. But he couldn't fight the sinking feeling that Alice was right.

"Wow, this is the most fun I've had in a long time," Vale laughed, throwing his head back and lifting his arms to the sky. Olivia giggled and splashed around in the street puddles as she watched him.

"Me too!" she exclaimed and began skipping, pulling Vale along with her. They had been walking for about fifteen minutes now, talking and laughing and playing in the rain. They had both agreed that the rain was the best weather condition possible, but after becoming thoroughly soaked to the bone, Vale had suggested they go back to his dad's house and dry off. Olivia had mentioned how much she like All Time Low after noticing Vale's t-shirt. Now they were just playing around, laughing and talking.

"You remind me a lot of my best friend back in El Paso." Vale told her. Olivia, still giggling and playing around in the puddles, smiled.

"Really? What's he like?" she asked him. Vale smiled fondly at the memories he had of David.

"He was great, really great. He was so funny and nice. He could be your best friend and your brother." Vale explained to her. She grinned.

"Oh! I'll have to meet him! You should invite him up here!" Vale frowned at her. "What? Did I say something? You don't have to invite him, I just-"

"No, no, you didn't do anything," the slight teen assured his friend. "David died last year. He was murdered."

"Oh, god, I'm so sorry! I really am, I'm sorry!" she gasped. Vale shook his head.

"No, no, it-it's fine," he sniffed. Funny how quickly moods change when you're a teenager. Olivia rushed at him and pulled the boy into her arms. Vale gave into her embrace and sobbed. "I'm so sorry," he apologized when he had finished.

"Don't be. He was your best friend. You deserve to cry sometimes. Look, we're almost to your house, right? Didn't you say it was around here?" Vale nodded. "Well, then let's go and we can be crazy and dance around to All Time Low like we were going to!" Vale nodded again, this time a small smirk crossing over his features. He pulled Olivia's hand into his own again and started running toward the brick house that was just down the street. They reached it in no time and as soon as they were home, Olivia and Vale abandoned their backpacks by the front door and flew up the stairs two at a time to Vale's room. Olivia gasped. "Oh my fucking GOD!" she exclaimed when she stepped foot into the little blue space. "You're room is AWESOME!" and she plopped down on his bed. Vale laughed and joined her.

"Yeah, I love it too. My dad got the furniture from Dr. Cullen, he told me, and the bed stuff from my friend, Jacob Black." Vale decided Jacob could still be considered a friend after all these years.

"Vale?" Olivia tried. Vale had become stoic after he mentioned Jacob. Vale looked up and cocked his head to the right. "If you don't mind, you mentioned…" she tried to word her question in a way that was the least obtrusive to Vale's privacy, "You mentioned another girl. If you don't mind me asking, would you tell me about her?" Vale sighed. Then smiled.

"I have never really told anyone but Jacob," he started. Olivia stared at her hands.

"Oh, then you don't have to tell me, I just wonde-"

"No, no, let me finish," he said. The two lapsed into silence. "I've never told anyone but Jacob because I've never trusted anyone but Jacob, considering we dated," he stated.

"You two dated?" Olivia asked. She shifted her position to where she was comfortably cross legged, leaning into Vale. Vale smiled and nodded. "Something in my gut about you, though. Something tells me that I can trust you." Olivia smiled brightly at Vale. She liked the idea that her new friend trusted her already. "And I think I'll feel better if you know," he finished.

"Well, get on with it then," Olivia giggled excitedly. She couldn't contain herself anymore. Vale grinned fondly at the girl's antics.

"Amber," he started, almost spitting the name in disgust, "Was the first love of my life. She was absolutely gorgeous." He began his tale. Olivia bubbled. If there was one thing she couldn't resist, it was a good story about a pretty girl.

"What did she look like?" She asked. Vale was amused.

"She was so tall and thin, about an inch taller than me. But it was alright because I loved her. Height shouldn't matter. She had the prettiest red hair. And pale skin that was littered with freckles. She was sugar and bubbles on legs. She had that personality." He remembered the beautiful girl, a small smirk sneaking into his facial expression. Then he sobered immediately. It took Olivia by surprise.

"What happened then?" She wondered aloud. Vale let out a small breath of air as he turned to the girl.

"When David died," he choked a bit when he said this, "She just broke up with me. Right there at the funeral. I reached over and took her hand, and she tore it away and glared daggers at me. Said, 'Let go of me, freak,' and then scooted over on the pew in the church." Olivia gasped. Vale chuckled demonically. "She was trying to use me to get to David. When he died, why should she stay with me? What reason did she have?" Olivia reached over and patted the teen on the back. It pulled the petite boy out of his stupor. Vale wasn't having any of her consoling. Pity. Vale hated it. It was the worst thing he had ever experienced. How could you enjoy pity? It was just an emotion for the shallow and the manipulative. Pity. Amber was pity on legs. That bitch pitied Vale, being a so-called loser. A freak. His mother pitied him for being a mistake. She pitied her mistake. There was nothing that wasn't shallow and selfish about the emotion. He wouldn't let Olivia pity him. He sat up again and ran back downstairs.

"Where are you going?" Olivia yelled from Vale's room. The boy's mood swings were startling, to say the least. Vale was busy searching through Olivia's backpack to find the cd's she had told him about earlier on their walk home. When he found them, he tore back up the stairs again.

"To get your cd's!" he smiled brightly at her, and walked over to the alarm clock sitting on the desk. "I could have sworn this played…" he mused to himself. Indeed it did, and he popped one in before hitting play. Weightless by All Time Low blasted from the tiny speakers through the house. Vale began jumping around the room. "Come on!" he urged Olivia, who jumped up and joined him. She was still wary of Vale's story, and almost feared his conflicting emotions. She wondered if he was hiding them, bottling them up and keeping them from the world. She decided to press the matter at a different time, however, and let Vale have his fun for now. They sang and danced, alternating between the lyrics.

"Maybe it's not my weekend! But it's gonna be my year!" Olivia sing-screamed. Vale came in next.

"And I'm so sick of watching while the minutes pass as I go nowhere!" he sang.

"This is my reaction to everything I fear!"

"I've been going crazy, I don't wanna waste another minute HERE!"

The pair continued through the entire cd, singing until their lungs stopped from singing and laughing and they were panting for breath. Simultaneously they collapsed onto Vale's bed, giggling and clutching their stomachs. "That was so fun," Olivia panted.

"Yeah, it totally was," Vale admitted. The two laughed again.

"Sure looked like fun," came a deep voice from the doorway. Both teens heads shot over to where it came from. Standing in the doorway was an unnaturally tall, black haired teen that oddly resembled…

"JACOB!" Vale exclaimed. He threw himself out of bed and into Jacob Black's outstretched arms. "How long has it been?"

"Much too long! Maybe two years?" He estimated, kissing the top of Vale's head. Vale snuggled into the warmth. Then, realizing what he had done, he pushed himself away.

"Hey, I thought we talked about this, that it's better we're just friends," he scowled playfully.

"That doesn't mean I'm not allowed to still hug you!" Jacob replied, smiling deviously. Vale rolled his eyes. Feeling uncomfortable, Olivia introduced herself.

"Hey, Jacob, I'm Olivia," she smiled politely at him. Jacob nodded at her.

"Nice to meet you, Livvie." Olivia's grin widened.

"Hey! My name is Olivia! Not Livvie!"

"Livvie is so much easier, though," Jacob replied, sitting on the bed next to her. The two, fast friends, swatted playfully at each other. Vale crossed his arms and frowned at the pair.

"Hey! Now I feel left out!" he pouted. Jacob reached out and pulled Vale into his lap, curling his arms around the little green-eyed wonder. Vale giggled at Olivia grinned at the pair.

"This is nice, you know," he whispered into the boy's ear. Vale wriggled in his grasp. "Now that you've moved here, maybe we can start up again," he suggested hopefully. "I missed you."

"I missed you, too, Jakey," Vale patted the arms that were wrapped around him, "But I just don't feel that way."

"That's alright," Jacob smiled disappointedly, and rested his chin on the top of Vale's head. Of course Vale was only saying that because Olivia was in the room. But one day they would have to tell her, right? He guessed it could wait. When she left he knew Vale would stop being so shy. He would make his move when they were alone.

"So, Jacob, why are you here?" Olivia tried to make conversation.

"Oh, my dad came to visit Vale's dad, they're downstairs. Going to watch the game, and I'm pretty sure Akin brought lunch." he answered. Vale straightened out from his comfortable seat in Jacob's arms.

"Larry Clearwater's homemade famous fish fry?" Vale and Jacob smirked simultaneously. Olivia chuckled. "Oh! Let me go say hi!" he pulled Jacob's arms away from himself and jumped off the bed. Olivia got up too.

"Well, let's all go. I suppose I should meet your dad, Vale," Olivia beamed. Vale agreed by nodding his head and dragged Jacob off the bed until everyone was standing around the door.

"You too," he pointed at Jacob and started down the stairs. Everyone followed him and soon Vale was being crushed into a hug by his father.

"Peanut!" he breathed into his son's hair. Vale tried desperately to free himself from the man's grasp. "I haven't seen you since your first day here! You've been asleep!" he hugged his son tighter. Vale took an exaggerated gasp so that someone would help him. Olivia stepped in, since Jacob was too busy snickering at Vale's predicament.

"Hi, Mr. Swan," Olivia waved at the man. Akin immediately let go of his son, who stumbled backwards into Jacob's embrace.

"Hello, I don't believe we've met," he smiled politely at her. Vale stepped out from Jacob's protection.

"I met Olivia at school, dad," he started, "and invited her over. She's been really nice." Akin grinned from ear to ear.

"Well, your welcome here anytime," he extended his hospitality to Olivia, who nodded kindly. Vale then turned to Billy Black, his father's best friend.

"Hey, Mr. Black!" he smiled and offered his hand to be shaken. Billy frowned at him and then pulled the small one in for a hug.

"Hey, Vale, I've missed you!" he cheered. Vale fake gasped again.

"Do the hugs never stop?!" he demanded playfully. Everyone laughed. Vale's life was looking up.

Olivia stayed for dinner, but after watching about half of the game with everyone, she announced that she should go home before it got too dark. After bidding her goodbye, Vale was about to go join his father and Billy on the couch when Jacob grabbed him from behind and pulled him up the steps to Vale's room. "Hey, where are we going?" he giggled as Jacobs swung him over his shoulder.

"Your room," Jacob purred. Vale giggled again. When the reached the landing, Vale slid himself off of Jacob and scurried into his room, Jacob following close behind. Vale took a seat on the bed with his hands wedged between the mattress and his thighs.

"So, what's up?" He asked. He didn't get an answer. Instead, Jacob stalked over to the smiling boy and towered over him. He placed his hands on either side of the boy's face and pressed his lips to soft pink ones before him without warning.

Vale didn't register the fact that he was slowly being pushed down into a laying position on his bed, or that his jeans were being teased down his hips. All he registered was that Jacob Black was kissing him. The fact that the person whom he considered his best friend was violating him after he had voiced his opposition in front of a witness. There was no way he was going to let this happen. He placed his palms flat against Jacob's chest and heaved as hard as he could. Jacob took the gesture for intimacy and the kiss was swiftly gaining a desperate eagerness. Vale didn't like it one bit. And now Jacob was trying to run his nimble fingers along Harry's thighs. With that, he reacted.

Jacob was thrown from the bed onto the floor at least 3 feet from a panting, snarling Vale. "Whoa, whoa, whoa," he put up his hands to calm Vale down. "What was that, baby?" he asked, hurt in his voice. Didn't Vale want to get back together, too?

"GET OUT OF MY ROOM! I'M NOT YOUR BABY, JACOB!" he shouted and snagged a pillow from behind him. It was hurled at Jacob's head, who ducked and it barely missed him. Jacob didn't need any more motive than that. He knew from experience that Vale was a force to be reckoned with when he was angry. He stumbled from the room, rushed down the stairs, and that was the last of Jacob Vale saw the rest of the night.

Vale sighed and laid back on his bed. He felt a little bad for throwing Jacob out, but he had kissed him! Vale really didn't want a relationship with Jacob. He wanted friendship, and nothing more. It had been fun, when he was fourteen and experimenting with his sexuality, but that was as far as sexually interested Vale was in Jacob. An experiment. He ran his fingers through his hair and tried to fall asleep. He had school tomorrow, but at least it was Friday. At least he had that one thing to look forward to.


	4. Revelations

Edward Cullen paced frantically back and forth, a string of curses being muttered under his short breaths. His hands were crossed uncomfortably behind his stiff back. He was in the living room of his family's large home, his siblings seated around him, occasionally glancing at him with worry and fear in their expressions. Alice Cullen, a small, pretty black-haired girl who appeared to be around 17 years old was relaxed into her husbands side. Her face was stricken with panic, worry, fear, and despair. She was staring, eyes intent on her brother. Jasper Hale, Alice's husband, was holding the girl tightly to his side, his arm wrapped securely around her dainty waist, his eyes shifting constantly with shock as the emotions roiling off his brother changed and gained intensity. Even calm, relaxed jokester Emmett Cullen, was acting serious for once. He was sitting, back straight against the white leather couch, watching his brother's rapidly changing plans and thoughts play out in his eyes. The only person who seemed to not have a care in the world was Rosalie Hale. The thin blonde was relaxed on the couch, her feet rested, ankles crossed, in her husband, Emmett's lap, her head propped heavily against the arm rest. She had a small smile on her thin lips and appeared to be void of all worry or care. She was the picture of ease. There were only two people missing from the equation. Dr. Carlisle Cullen, who had been contacted only moments ago of his adopted son's dilemma, had assured the riled ensemble of people he would arrive shortly. The five Cullen children were waiting eagerly for their father's arrival, Edward the most nervous. He had no plan, no idea what was even going on with himself, and it was very unsettling. The second person missing was Esme Cullen, Dr. Cullen's wife, and for all intents and purposes, Edward, Rosalie, Jasper, Emmett, and Alice's mother. She had traveled to the hospital to warn Dr. Cullen, and was on her way back home with the man right now.

The air temperature must have dropped thirty degrees in the moment Carlisle's car was heard to drive into the family's car garage, and even Rosalie tensed when the sound of a door opening played through the house. Dr. Cullen emerged along with his wife, took one look at the situation, and sighed in a very human gesture. "Edward," he began, his wife nearly sprinting across the room at inhuman speed to her son. Edward shifted his gaze from the floor to his father.

"Carlisle," said in way of greeting to the man, "I don't know where to start." Carlisle gave his son a look of understanding before walking up to his son who was now being held tightly in his mother's embrace and stood in front of him.

"You could start when you first arrived at school," Carlisle prompted. Edward nodded tersely.

"We arrived at school as normal. We were early. I went to my first class. I heard the teacher thinking about a new arrival to the school, and it interested me. After I took my seat, I waited. A few minutes passed a short, black haired boy walked into class. He was instructed to sit next to me. When he did, though, I-" Edward's voice trailed off a few moments, his tone changing from short and clipped to an emotional wreck in a change that took mere moments. "It was the most unbearable scent I had ever experienced from a human. It was like a fire had been lit in my throat, and every second he sat there, someone, no, that boy, "Edward sneered, "was adding gasoline. It began to burn so badly it was like pouring acid down my throat. I thought I might not be able to control myself-"

"But he did," came Alice's musical voice. It was the first sound any of the other children had uttered since their conflict at school. The drive home had been short and tense. It, however, couldn't hold a candle to the atmosphere now. "He didn't attack. He left as soon as possible, and I didn't mention, I had a vision-"

"NO!" Edward shouted, glaring daggers at Alice. Everyone was caught off guard, and Jasper's arm tightened. Alice merely smiled.

"Edward saw it, then," she said giddily. more to herself. She was way too excited for anyone in this position.

"What was your vision, Alice?" Carlisle asked calmly, avoiding to stares he was receiving from his oldest, and currently most troubled, son.

"Oh, it was so cute," she bubbled. Edward shifted his gaze to her and scowled, "He and the little human, they were so happy, they were holding hands and everything. You could tell they were together, and the little human told Edward he-"

"NO!" Edward protested again. He couldn't bear it. The boy's scent was too strong. He wouldn't let the little one get hurt. Especially not by himself. "I won't let it happen! Carlisle, I'm leaving, I'm going to Denali," he protested. Cr. Cullen took immediate action. He couldn't let his son leave now to be with their sister clan in Alaska. He had heard of situations like this before.

"Edward, we can talk this through." He assured his son.

"No. I've made up my mind," he gritted through his clenched teeth. Carlisle improvised.

"Of course you have the right to make that decision. But will you explain why to me?" Edward nearly broke down as he replied to the question.

"Because I can't read his mind. I can't stand his smell. And Alice…" he was defeated. "I have no other choice. I don't want to hurt him. He was so happy in Alice's vision, but Carlisle, he c-can't possibly be happy with m-me. I'm a monster." Esme's hold on her son tightened as she soothed him.

"No, honey, shhh, you're not a monster," she shushed him, brushing back his bronze hair from his forehead. Edward was on the verge of crying. He wished he could. While Esme consoled her son, everyone in the room despite Alice was shocked by the revelation of Alice's vision. She was never wrong. And this vision implied that the fragile human was going to very soon become a member of their swiftly growing family. But how could this be so? Rosalie was the first to speak. Or, scream like a banshee was more like it.

"HE'S A WORTHLESS HUMAN! HE'S NOTHING! NOTHING!" She shrieked, before being subdued by her husband's desperate attempts to calm her. Edward glowered at the blonde.

Ignoring his frantic daughter, Carlisle addressed Edward. "I have a theory on what it is that draws you to the human. La tua cantante, Edward. He is a singer. A human who's blood is-"

"Nearly irresistible. It sings to the vampire who comes near, yes I am familiar with the term," Edward cut. Carlisle tried to ignore his son's coldness and continued with his theorizing.

"But he is a very strong singer, a rare singer that very few of us are able to resist. If we can, however, they are our mates." Edward was stunned a bit by Carlisle's revelation.

"But why the hell would our mate," he stressed the word mate harder than necessary, "Have blood so strong we want to kill them? That's insane." Carlisle ran his hand through his golden hair in frustration.

"It's only a theory."

"A ludicrous theory! Think about it, Carlisle! Emmett has already attacked two of his singers! Wouldn't that be just a little bit ironic? That they are our mate and all we want to do is suck their blood dry? Even Rosalie had to fight not to kill Emmett!" Emmett cringed, while Carlisle's eyes widened.

"Edward, I understand completely where you are coming from, but think about what you just said about Emmett. Rosalie described Emmett's blood as being nearly impossible to ignore. His scent was as tempting as Vale's is to you. But think of what Rosalie wanted. She didn't want him dead, she wanted him to live. To turn him. Edward, the reason our mate's blood is so tempting, more so than a singer's, is because it is supposed to compel us to turn the person! To make them our mate!" This caught the entire family off guard, and caused Rosalie to smile proudly. "Even I felt this toward Esme," Carlisle added as an after thought, smiling slightly at his young wife. Edward was convinced. So Vale…

"Vale is my- my mate?" he asked, to confirm his suspicion. Carlisle nodded, then frowned slightly. Vale. Did the parents know the name was Estonian for mistake? He wondered to himself. Carlisle and the rest of his family had spent time learning a variety of languages. Estonian was one of them. Edward answered his father's thought quietly. "Yes. His mother named him." he whispered. Carlisle nodded as if that was a reasonable explanation even though the reason for Vale being named so unfortunately seemed to lack a motive.

"Yes, I believe so. His blood calls you much stronger than an average singer, though not by much, but I am going off your description. It would also explain why you are unable to read his mind." Edward glanced questioningly at his father. Carlisle began to explain this idea to his son. "It has been heard of that a mate of our kind, while remaining a human, is able to elude their mate's 'ability.' It has only been demonstrated once, however, because it has only ever been one vampire who possessed an ability and a human mate. It would explain why Alice can see his future, but you can't read his thoughts." Edward was thoroughly sated. Carlisle had obviously thought this through. Curiosity was getting at him, however, and it was Jasper, who had remained stoic during the confrontation, who spoke."Who was it?" he asked simply. Carlisle nodded at his son.

"It was Aro. But he only discovered that it was his mate as he was feeding and he noticed he couldn't hear a single memory of hers. He felt awful after he attacked her, but he had already killed the girl." Jasper nodded. Most of the family didn't seem affected by the news, however, because they were too wrapped up in Edward's new fate.

"Vale is my mate…" the name sounded warm on his tongue. "Vale," he repeated, then realized the name's meaning. "No, not Vale. He's no mistake," Edward began musing to himself. He was warming up to the idea of having someone to look after, a little fragile creature like Vale. Esme released her son, satisfied with his mood now enough and smoothed her black skirt. The tension in the room dropped. Rosalie was snarling angrily from her spot now cooped in Emmett's arm, Jasper was holding a bouncing Alice on his lap, Edward envisioning himself with his little mate in that same room, holding him in the same manner, and Carlisle beamed at his son.

"Are you still going to Denali? Carlisle inquired. Edward shook his head.

"But I'm also not going to put him in danger. I'll stay home from school for now."

"What reason will you give?" Esme questioned. She was now communicating with Alice through her eyes on all the plans for the new addition to the family.

"I will give him an excuse for medical leave, and he can take the note tomorrow morning. The four of you," Carlisle motioned around the room, "Can go in Rosalie's car." Rosalie glared.

"There is no way I'm helping him out of a situation with that stupid mortal," she muttered under her breath, but everyone knew she was bluffing. If it really was Edward's mate they were talking about, she would grudgingly help.

"Rosalie, you need to help Edward to keep from becoming tempted. Vale may soon be spending a lot of time around him," Carlisle stated firmly, and in that moment, the entire Cullen household, with the exception of Rosalie, brightened. Emmett spoke for the first time all day.

"How quickly can he move in?" he joked sarcastically, to be met by a room of good natured stares. "Man, tough crowd," he muttered, to be rewarded with a chuckle from Carlisle.

"I wonder when I can take him shopping…" Alice spoke aloud. "He really needs some new clothes… Oh, we'll be such great friends." Edward's eyes brightened. His little mate…

"So, you're going to spy on him?" Emmett argued for the third time. Edward would have already punched his brother if Carlisle wasn't in the room.

"No! Emmett, keep your nose out of my business," Edward retorted. Emmett snickered.

"You should keep your nose out of Vale's business, instead of spying on him," he shot. Edward had enough.

"I'm going to keep an eye on him! Damnit, Emmett!"

"Language," Esme interfered on her way up her stairs.

"Whoa, whoa, chill," Emmett put up his hands in a peace gesture. Edward sighed and returned to staring out the window.

"Where's Alice and why is she taking so long?" He muttered to himself. Edward could hear the school bell ring softly in the distance. "He's probably already on his way home with Michael and his group of friends."

With perfect timing, the perky girl bounded down the stairs with Jasper at her heels. The blonde didn't have any intention of joining the group, but followed the girl downstairs anyway. "Lets' go!" Alice said merrily and was already holding the door open for her brother. Edward let Alice lead the way from the large, white house through the forest. The two ran at inhuman speed through the trees, before Edward caught the distant smell of his mate's blood.

"I have to stop soon," he warned Alice, who slowed considerably. She then veered to the left, catching Edward off guard. He caught up quickly, though, and came across Alice who was sitting Indian style at the edge of a tall looking cliff that had been blasted into existence when a road between two mountains was built. It overlooked the road leading out of school. Edward joined her at the edge, his legs dangling of the edge. The two sat, silent, and watched as Vale and a girl named Olivia giggled along, hand in hand, toward home.

School the next day went by smoothly. Only two interesting things really happened. The first when he arrived at school, after getting a ride from Michael again. This time, however, Olivia had hitched a ride with him when Vale had called out to her walking on the side of the barren road. Olivia had happily obliged and soon Vale's small group of friends were at perfect ease with each other, despite being a little cramped in the tiny cabin of the truck. When the car pulled into the car lot, the silver Volvo that was always there before them was parked near the back of the lot. Except the fact that there was now a red convertible in the space next to it. The students that arrived at school early were crowded around the car, gasping and awe-struck. What intrigued Vale the most, however, was not the flashy car, but the passengers that were sitting on it. The top was up, and they were all eased comfortably in some position better suited for car and driver magazine than a school parking lot. It was the Cullens. Vale sighed inwardly. The gossip mill would be up and running today.

Alice Cullen was sitting on the roof, her legs dangling in front of Jasper Hale's shoulders and her hands crossed on top of his unruly, yet stylish blonde hair. Rosalie Hale was relaxed on the hood, smiling vaguely at her admirers, with Emmet Cullen standing closely by like a body guard. Edward, Vale noticed, was not there. Why was Edward missing, but his car, (Vale had deduced the silver Volvo was Edward's because it was to only other car at school so early, the rest of the students arrived on the bus) parked? And why was there another car that the Cullens seemingly arrived in? Whatever it was, something was definitely off. Michael was the first to react after everyone in the car had noticed the object of attraction. He pulled open the door and slid out, relieving the cramped car. Anna was the second to slide out. She had squeezed in between Michael and LeAnne while Olivia had sat, much to Anna's discontent, in Vale's lap for a change. He had to admit, it was much more relaxing for Vale to have his best girl friend nestled in his lap instead of a whore who was "flirting" by grinding into him every few seconds. Olivia pulled open the car door on their side and leaped to the pavement below. She landed less than gracefully, much to Vale's amusement, and tilted unstably onto her ankle before Vale placed his hands one her shoulders to steady her. Olivia blushed deep crimson in her embarrassment, causing Vale to break out into a deep laughter that had him clutching his sides.

"Oh shut up," she snapped at him playfully. Vale stuck out his tongue at the girl.

"Hey, hey, hey, what's going on here?" LeAnne asked as she slid from the car and smiled knowingly at the pair, who were now bending and chasing each other in an attempt to dodge each other's hands. Finally, Vale grabbed a hold of the small girl and began mercifully tickling her.

"H-help m-m-me LeA-anne!" She giggle-shrieked. LeAnne grabbed Vale from behind. The teen only snickered, spun in place, still clutching Olivia, and used her as a human shield to fend off the playful attacks. None of the three giggling friends noticed when the entirety of the student body's attention turned to them, nor when Edward Cullen escaped into his silver Volvo and drove away. No one noticed when Michael and Anna joined into the mayhem, either. The only one who noticed anything was Vale, and what he did realize was just how glad he was to have come to Forks, Washington.

Edward Cullen be damned.


	5. Expulsion

The second odd thing that happened that day wasn't exactly unexpected, just a bit extreme, as Vale saw it. His day went by easily. It was in gym that he got a shocking surprise. When he arrived into the large, shiny room, he had been racing Michael while Anna and LeAnne cheered from behind them. When he sprinted into the gym and saw a glimpse of what was awaiting him, he skid to a halt. Before him, standing with his arms crossed and a disappointed scowl on his face was the chief of police of Forks, Akin Swan, or otherwise known as "the really pissed of dad at his son for currently unknown but easily speculated reasons, most of which involve Vale's outburst yesterday." Vale did not like the odds of him coming out happy from this. "Peanut, would you like to explain to me why it is that I've received a call from your less than happy principal telling me that you've been suspended from school?" Vale rubbed the back of his rapidly heating neck nervously.

"I'd rather not-" he started when a very sweaty Michael came crashing through the doors.

"Damn! You run fast! Where did you get that kind of speed?" he jeered happily, totally oblivious to the situation unfolding. Akin saw it as a distraction. Vale saw it as an escape.

"Mike!" he cheered, clapping the other boy on the back, "Dad, this is my friend, Michael. He an I were just about to change-" he explained hastily, trying to lead his friend to the locker room. Akin wasn't having any of it.

"Peanut Adam Elliot Swan, get back here and explain yourself," from his tone of voice and the way his father tried in vain to use Vale's entire name without calling him mistake was enough to send Vale doubling over in hysterics, but he decided to head the warning anyway and despondently made his way back over to his father, keeping his eyes to the floor. When he reached his dad, Vale lowered his head as Akin stared down at his son. His face softened. "Son, look at me," he urged. When Vale didn't respond, he tried again. "Peanut." Nothing. "Son." Nothing. "Adam." Although amused by his father' s avoidance of his name, Vale didn't respond. "Elliot." No response. Akin sighed before addressing the inevitable. "Vale." Vale's head shot up to stare at his father. His expression was solemn. "Look, you aren't a mistake," he immediately rebuked from the name. Vale shook his head.

"No, I'm not. But you shouldn't be afraid of a name," he insisted. Akin sighed.

"We're not changing the subject now, peanut," he look his son directly in the eye. Vale inwardly shied away from the intense and questioning glare in his father's eye. "Tell me why you've been suspended, and why I'm standing in a gym full of students and teachers alike."

Although he was a bit unnerved that he had just noticed the gym had filled and everyone was staring at him in awe, and he hadn't noticed the principal and his gym coach behind his father, Vale decided to retort in his usual, smarmy matter. "Maybe because this is school and you're interrupting gym?" he replied sarcastically. He could sense his father's annoyance at him just by his eyes. His body language was a good indicator, too, however.

"Adam," he said as firmly as he could, considering he was trying to use a middle name. "Cut the crap," he demanded, "Why have you been suspended for an entire week?" Vale's muttered response could hardly be heard. "Excuse me?" Akin's tolerance was really being tested.

"I said I mouthed off to the asshole of a coach. But he had it coming! He wouldn't stop blowing his damn whistle in my ear!" Akin also heard a bit of muttering about something like, "stereotypical prejudices," as well, but it couldn't be confirmed. Vale was back to staring at the ground, and this time he took his son's chin and forced the emerald eyes to stare into his.

"I don't care what he did. He's your teacher and you have no choice but to respect him. Grounded. You're grounded for the entire suspension. No television, no going out, no visitors," he decided. Vale narrowed his eyes, but said nothing. This would be a long week.

Despite the asshole coach who was constantly sending Vale triumphant glares, and after his father had left, Vale tried to make his last class of the day as fun gym could be. Which, really, to Vale, the suspension would be more like a vacation. When the final bell rang, he all but sprinted from the gym, his right arm linked with giggling Olivia, his left with beaming LeAnne, and Anna riding piggy back, her arms wound around his neck. At first, all three girls were worried he would fall, but Vale was stronger than they thought, and only stumbled once when Michael, who was running along behind them, pushed Vale from behind, causing Anna to scream and hang on tighter. The five ran to Michael's truck, gaggles of student's watching at the perfectly at ease, most popular kids at school. Vale wouldn't normally wish to be a part of their group, but he had to admit, sometimes it was fun.

Vale moaned as everyone filed into the car. Then he smiled deviously. "Hey, I'm not getting into the cramped car with all of you," he informed the group, his arms crossed. Michael stared at him, awestruck.

"And where do you plan to sit?" Anna asked unhappily. Vale smirked at her, before grabbing onto the rim of the truck bed and throwing himself in. Olivia gasped, giggled, and reenacted the entrance until the two were sitting, propped up against the cab's back, side by side. Anna looked resigned and attempted to join them, but before she could get the car door open, which Olivia had slammed shut before making her grand entrance, a grinning Michael sped of the school premises.

"Olive," he said, a few minutes into the ride with a comfortably silent Olivia.

"Yes, Adam?" she grinned from ear to ear. Vale was surprised she had picked up on his middle name.

"Hey, how did you hear about that?"

"Word travels quickly," she shrugged. "What's up?"

"My dad said no visitors," he begun silently, hanging his head. Then he shot up to stare the girl in the eye. "Can you climb trees well?" he asked. Olivia stared confusedly at him.

"Yes, very well, actually, but I don't see what this has to do with… Oh!" Realization hit her like a ton of bricks.

"Say, around, seven tomorrow? Come pick me up?" Vale looked hopeful, and how could Olivia say no?

"Sure, I'll spring you, but won't your dad be mad?" Vale smirked.

"I doubt he'll notice. He'll be at work anyway."

"Great! Wait, seven am or pm?" she confirmed. Vale grinned wildly.

"Whichever's better, Heather," he laughed maniacally, and if it wasn't Vale, Olivia would have been a little scared.

He's suspended for a whole week Alice informed her brother solemnly, So you can come back to school. Edward listened to his sister's thoughts momentarily before trying to pick up on the thoughts of his peers. It wasn't hard, considering how close he was to the high school, but he had to work to weed out the ones that gave him legitimate information. Really? Man, that new kid is getting in all kinds of trouble already. Suspended? It was the perky voice of Cecilia Otero, a junior who's mind Edward rarely looked at. She was interesting, with an odd personality, but she had recently been fantasizing about Edward's mate, and it irked him. He decided she would be his best bet to learn about the day's events, however, and grudgingly listened in. Who was it who told me? Oh yeah! Mike! But Coach Carter so had it coming, maybe it was extreme to suspend him. I think Sarah said for a week… Cecilia thought in such third person thoughts that it was easy enough for Edward to understand the gist of what had happened. Apparently Vale had done something to the coach to earn him suspension. Curiosity getting the better of him, Edward watched as Vale rode home in the bed of Michael's truck home with Olivia. Try as he might, he was only able to zero in on Olivia's thoughts, and not Vale's.

Olivia was more of a visual thinker, so when Edward began spying on her mind, he was a little startled to see little Olivia scaling the tree by Vale's bedroom window, and what looked like Vale leaning out his window. Then she thought of a café at the edge of town, around sunset or sunrise. Then a confirming thought, and the hint of the time 7:00. So then, at seven tomorrow, and Olivia didn't know whether in the morning or the afternoon, or she did and meant both… but that didn't make sense, Edward thought, and, anyway, it appeared Vale was going to sneak out of his home to grab a bite with Olivia. That made a good deal more sense to Edward. Vale was very sneaky, he had to admit.

So then, he could go back to school. But a week… He could use that week to get to know Vale. His mate… without endangering himself… Would he be able to resist attacking the boy? Yes, he believed so. No, he wouldn't be going back to school, he would be taking care of Vale to the best of his ability. There was nothing else he could do.

The pick-up pulled into Vale's driveway fifteen minutes later, and Vale bounded out, along with Olivia. The two walked up the Vale's door while Michael drove away. He wouldn't give Olivia a ride home, because Olivia had insisted she get to walk home after. They all knew she just wanted to stay with Vale, though. Olivia was becoming an extremely protective sister to Vale. Vale unlocked the door and ushered Olivia through, planning to sneak her out before his father arrived home. That plan was ruined, though, when Akin came right up to his son and his fugitive friend.

"Nice try, Peanut," he scolded his son, before walking past and holding open the door for Olivia. "It was nice to see you, Olivia, but Vale is grounded and suspended," he smiled brightly at Olivia, and then evilly at Vale. "Do you need a ride?" Olivia laughed at a brooding Vale, before answering his dad.

No, thanks, Mr. Swan. I usually walk," she smiled. "Bye, Vale, I'll see you Monday, at school," she teased the boy who attempted to grab her and tickle her. She dodged out of the way and ran from the house.

"Bye Liv!" Vale called after the girl. Then turned to plow up the steps, his father smirking behind him the whole way up.

Vale, Edward had to admit to himself as he watched the boy laying peacefully on his bed, was beautiful. He could stare into those emerald orbs for the rest of eternity and be just as lost in them as he was now. He was slender, but still well muscled, and had to be the tiniest male teenager Edward had ever laid eyes on. He was only an inch shorter than the average teen, but the difference was more noticeable simply because at how slight he was. He looked so fragile that Edward was afraid if the likes of himself even touched the boy he would surely shatter into a million pieces. The boy was especially gorgeous when he smiled or laughed, when his lips would turn up into a closed, soft smirk and slowly transform into a wide, beaming grin. When he laughed, it was like a wave of fire crashing down over Edward's senses. A blush would spread across the boy's high cheekbones, and his mouth would open wide as loud, attractive laughter bubbled from within. Vale was truly a sight to only thing that bothered Edward were the mysterious white bandages that were wrapped tightly around Vale's thin left arm. They were tucked beneath the long, leather sleeves of his worn black jacket, but occasionally, they would peek through. Although none of Vale's friends noticed, Edward did. He noticed the slight wince that came whenever anyone touched his arm, or the careful avoidance of anything exposing the white gauze. But Edward knew better. Edward knew Vale was in pain. And that caused Edward pain.

Vale sighed at he relaxed on his bed, his head propped up on countless pillows. The sun was shining weekly, slowly beginning to set. Vale had plans to sit out side and watch, but for now he just wanted peace and quiet. He had told his dad after dinner when he got home that he was turning in for the night, and after convincing the man that, no, he would rather not watch the game, he had escaped to his sanctuary. Now, his arm was burning, his bandages were itching, and the sun was setting. Vale slowly eased himself out of bed. He pulled his Swiss army knife from the pocket of the jeans he wore two days ago, which had been thrown across the floor haphazardly and he walked over to the window. Throwing it open, he clambered onto the branch that would knock against the glass on windy nights and settled himself between two outward branches. The sunset in Forks was a sight to behold. The sky was littered with clouds, but the horizon was always in clear view. And streaks of red, orange, yellow, and pink would illuminate the clear blue spaces between the soft white obstructions. And behind all of it was a backdrop of endless trees.

Vale opened the knife to the blade and rolled up his sleeve, then began gingerly unwrapping the soft white bandages that were at the beginning stages of staining with blood. When his arm was fully exposed, he slashed at it without warning or pretense. Deep crimson blood flowed freely down his pale arms, dripping into the dirt below. And he slashed again. With each new wound, a little piece of Vale's confusion slipped away, a little bit of pain left. Soon, his arm was a bloody mess, his blade stained with evidence of his deeds. When Vale's eyes adjusted from their glazed state, the first thing he noticed was that he was freezing. Then he noticed that the sunset was ending and it was dark, and then he noticed the eerie feeling around him that he wasn't alone. When it got to be too much, he pushed his pocket knife into his pocket and leaped gracefully from the branch into his room. A short leap, it was, but his arm was still flowing relentlessly and he really just wanted a good sleep. He was out as soon as he was on his bed, blood leaking silently onto the black sheets beneath him.

There was a part of him that wanted to run far away, to scream out his anger and desire and to escape. But there was also a part of him, the part that was taking over, that wanted more than anything to attack the softy sleeping, bleeding human. The window was open, it would be easy enough. He could do it in a swift movement, it would be over before Vale even had time to scream. But somewhere, deep inside the monster that Edward Cullen had become, was a part of him that just wanted to hold Vale while he sobbed, to make the pain stop, to make Vale stop hurting himself. That part was slowly gaining on the monster, and there was a fierce battle going on inside of him. What did it, though, what really saved the little human's life, was the smell of dog coming nearer. That's what snapped Edward out of his fantasy just long enough to take off running.

When Vale awoke, sometime late at night, he was wrapped tightly in something strong and warm, something that radiated heat. And he was sweating mercifully. When Vale finally comprehended that it was arms wrapped around him, however, he nearly screamed. In a panic, sleep-induced haze, Vale began scrambling around in the sheets. The arms tightened.

"Jesus, calm down, Vale," came the voice of Jacob Black. Vale was instantaneously eased. At least it wasn't a creepy stalker. And then he began to thrash harder than before when he realized that it was Jacob Black and not a creepy stalker. Sighing, Jacob released the boy just long enough to get a better hold on the boy and almost effortlessly sat him upright, Vale's arms pinned to his side. He continued to wriggle, but Jacob held him tightly. There was an awkward moment in which Jacob scanned Vale's face, memorizing every single feature, and then the boy silently cursed and let Vale go. The first thing Vale did was throw the strongest punch he could at the asshole. And when it connected, Jacob wasn't the one who came back with a bruise.

"Why are you here?" Vale snarled, rubbing his injured fist. Jacob stared down at the comforter.

"Vale, I'm sorry, I-I just," Jacob moaned before pulling his hand through his shaggy, short hair. Vale noticed he had cut it, "I came to apologize, well, that's what I had wanted to do, and then…" Vale inched closer to Jacob.

"You might as well just tell me," he said, before reaching over and taking Jacob's hand. Jacob noticed the slits lining the teens wrist and he clutched his hand for support.

"What have you done?" he muttered, eyes widening as he flipped the boy's hand and ran his fingers along the wounds. Vale winced and pulled his arm away, but with lightning quick reflexes, Jacob reached forward and grabbed the boy's forearm before it could disappear behind his back.

"Answer my question first. Why are you here? Jacob, I can forgive you for making a move, but I need to know why I woke up in your arms, and why you've cut your hair." Jacob groaned.

"Alright, alright," he relented, "Well, you know the Quileute's are descendant from wolves?" Vale nodded.

"You told me the stories at Christmas last year. I remember. There were vampires on your land, and your werewolf - well, shape-shifter -ancestors hunted them down and made a treaty." Jacob nodded briskly.

"And since that treaty, no one has actually followed into transforming into a werewolf. Something about the treaty put it into a sort of remission. Until now. I transformed the night you and I fought. And because of my long hair, I was really shaggy, so I cut it." So Jacob was a werewolf. I didn't surprise Vale, really.

"I figured as much, about the hair at least. Do you know why you transformed?" Jacob nodded.

"Vale… Did any of the Cullen's act… weirdly toward you?" After thinking about it, Vale nodded slowly.

"Yes. Edward Cullen did. When he got near me… he looked like he was about to murder someone." Jacob squeezed Vale's hand.

"My father thinks I transformed because there was a danger to you. That there is a vampire that is putting you in danger by being here. Edward Cullen is a vampire, you know, and we think that he may have something to do with your-" he searched for the right word, "scent. Your blood scent. We think that he wants to attack you." Vale snorted.

"Edward is a vampire? I'll believe that, simply because you being a werewolf, who am I to doubt the existence of a fictional creature? But the fact that he wants to murder me? No, there has to be another reason for him acting so oddly."

"It's only what my father thinks," Jacob reminded him, "And anyway, I didn't come to talk to you about Edward," Jacob sneered, "I came to see if… if I would imprint on you." Vale's eyes widened a bit.

"Imprint? You said something about that once, right?" Jacob nodded, "Isn't that a werewolf's soul mate or whatever?" Jacob held Vale's chin is his hand and stared into his eyes.

"I thought, I still love you, Vale, so if I imprinted… it would mean you had to be with me," he muttered. Vale frowned.

"Did you?"

"No." The words reverberated off the walls of Vale's room. Vale sucked in a breath.

"I feel bad saying this, Jake," Vale started, "But I'm glad you didn't. I don't love you. I like you a lot. Like a brother. I do love you like a brother. But nothing more. I'm sorry."

"No, it's okay. But I needed to talk to you." Vale smiled stiffly before untangling Jacob's fingers from beneath his chin.

"Speaking of talking to me, does my dad realize you're here?" Jacob grinned sheepishly.

"Your window was wide open…"

"Figures."

"So tell me," he started. "Why have you done this to yourself, Vale?" Vale watched as Jacob picked up his limp left arm and traced the scars and cuts with his eyes. Vale frowned and looked at Jacob.

"Jacob, I think you should leave," he replied carefully, before standing up and walking over to the window. There was a crescent moon tonight.

"But, Vale…" Jacob attempted feebly.

"Please go," he motioned toward the trees. Jacob walked up to Vale and place his hands on Vale's shoulders.

"Vale…" he tried to protest, but Vale shrugged the shape-shifter off and walked back toward his bed.

"No. I'm sorry, Jacob, goodbye," he said with a finality in his voice. Jacob silently climbed onto the tree and slid down to the ground below. When Vale was sure Jacob was gone, he lay down on his soft bed and cried. He might as well have been expelled, Vale thought darkly. Jacob was gone, he wasn't allowed to have visitors, and now he feared he had pushed away any love he could have possibly ever had. And it felt as if the living and being and happiness of Vale Adam Elliot Swan had been expelled from his body. And right now, he felt like there was no way in hell he would get any of it back. It had been torn from him, expelled from his very soul.

Not suspended.


	6. The Cafe

At seven o'clock a.m. the next morning, Vale was roused by a hard, incessant knocking at his door. Grumbling and fisting the sleep out of his eyes, he rolled out of bed and made his way downstairs. Whoever was knocking, they were getting impatient, because the knocking got louder and harder. "I'm coming, I'm coming!" he moaned at the door from the bottom of the staircase. When he reached the last step, his ankle twisted and he fell flat on his face. "SHIT!" he cursed loudly, before attempting to push himself up. It was no use. His ankle must have really twisted. A dull sting was beginning to make it's way through his leg.

"VALE! WHERE ARE YOU?" Came Olivia's high voice through the door. Vale sighed audibly. He couldn't make it to the door, and it was locked. Now what? And then he remembered the spare key.

"Liv," he called feebly through to the door. When the knocking didn't cease, he tried to scream louder. "LIV! LIVVIE! OLIVIA!" He called, gaining the girl's attention.

"Get your ass over here and unlock the door!" Olivia called impatiently. Vale sighed.

"I twisted my ankle on the way down the stairs-"

"Nice going, idiot." Olivia snickered. Vale glared at her through the heavy wood and frosted windows. He knew she couldn't see him, but she stopped laughing all the same, probably expecting him to be glaring at her about now.

"Just come help me up. There's a spare key under the third rock to the right of the door," he informed the girl, remembering what his dad had told him about getting locked out. Behind the door, he heard Olivia shuffling around, and the sound of metal scraping against brick. Then, a loud, muted thud.

"Found it!" she called over the rustling of the unlocking door. When the door opened, bright light flooded the dark house and Vale had to shield his eyes. "Oh, nice," she smirked at Vale's form on the ground. Olivia held out her hand for Vale to take while she walked toward him. Vale gladly accepted it.

"Thanks," he mumbled, adjusting his shirt and jeans while Olivia slung his arm around her neck and wrapped the other around his waist. Together, they limped into the kitchen where Olivia deposited Vale into the first chair they saw. She took a seat across from him.

"I was going to take you to my foster parent's café, you know," she informed Vale in a grudging tone, even though she was smiling broadly, "But now I guess we're stuck here."

"What a shame," he smirked deviously back. Well, at least they had the house to themselves.

"So what can we do to occupy ourselves until your dad gets home and you have to explain why you have a visitor?" She mused. Vale shrugged.

"What CAN we do?" He answered back. Olivia frowned slightly. Then she got that glint in her eye, the one Vale had seen only once before, in the back of Michaels truck when they had talked about meeting. "Oh, no, what are you thinking?" He groaned, slamming his head into his crossed arms that were resting on the table. He knew that whatever her idea of fun was, he would end up regretting it later.

Olivia reached over and lifted Vale's head from his arms so he was looking at her. "Wild house party?" she suggested innocently. Right. Innocently. Innocent my a- "You need to meet my friends," she added more seriously. Vale sighed audibly before nodding slightly.

"Fine, invite them over, but they need to be gone before my dad gets back," he warned the already squealing girl, who was punching numbers into a small purple flip phone she had produced from her army green cargo pants. She looked good today, Vale admitted to himself, in her tight black tank top and baggy shorts. To top it off, she had on a pair of old black converse and her hair pulled into tight pigtails. As he admired her, the girl excitedly texted away, giggling whenever she got a reply.

"Alrighty!" she said, finally flipping her phone shut and pocketing it, "They're on their way." Vale smiled at her. "I'll tell you about them until they come," she said, and happily launched into descriptions of her friends. "First, there's Jackson," she began. "He's tall and thin, and absolutely gorgeous," she began, "and gay," she added as an afterthought. Vale nodded slightly. "And there's Rene," she said next, "He's short like you, but he's straight. He's dating Brinnie," Brinnie? That's a nice name, Vale thought to himself. "Brinnie's super nice, and really," she chewed her lip in thought, a habit Vale found extremely cute, "excitable?" she finally decided, and nodded slightly to herself. Vale caught himself staring. He had to admit, he was beginning to form a small crush on Olivia. He knew it was out of the question, though, and even knew himself that he would rather be with another male. His crush on Olivia was more out of admiration than anything.

"They sound nice," Vale told her. "The gay one? Is he dating?" Vale got the nerve to ask. It would be nice to date someone. He missed having that someone to hold, someone closer than a friend. Olivia nodded quickly.

"And single!" she added jokingly. Vale laughed with her, and they chatted until the doorbell rang.

Olivia was pretty accurate with her descriptions. Brinnie exuded fun, constantly giggling and bouncing around. Rene was more laid back, and went with the flow. The two were seated to the right of Vale, Brinnie bouncing on Rene's lap, and the small boy trying desperately to hold her down. Vale smiled sympathetically at him. Jackson was sitting to the left of him, occasionally glancing over and studying Vale. Vale squirmed in his seat, earning a soft chuckle from Jackson. It was a little bit uncomfortable having someone staring at him in what he had surmised to be lust. Olivia finally sat down across from Vale again, placing a large bowl of chips on the table and setting down a can of beer in front of everyone. "You do realize we're underage," Rene stated, even though he was already popping the tab and taking a swig.

"Oh, shut up, like you haven't done worse," Brinnie giggled, turning around and smacking the boy over the top of the head. Everyone broke out in laughter except Rene, who was pouting. Vale picked up his can and opened it, but set it down again without drinking any.

"Looks like Vale doesn't drink," Jackson observed casually with a smirk playing at his features. Vale stuck out his tongue.

"I drink," he said to the laughing people sitting around the table, "But I'm not in the mood." Jackson shook his head.

"You're just making excuses. The chief of police's son doesn't want to get in trouble," he teased. Vale glared at him.

"First of all, we're breaking the law. You realize you have to be 21 to drink?" Olivia beamed.

"That's what makes it so fun, Vale Hun," she said in a sing-song voice, tossing back half of her beer in one gulp.

"Look, I'm really just not in the mood. I drink, trust me," he assured them, remembering the massive hangover he had after David's fifteenth birthday. Rene was still laughing slightly, and Brinnie cocked an eyebrow at him.

"Prove it," she said in her giggly, high voice. It was the first thing she had said directly to Vale that morning. Vale shrugged slightly and picked up the can. Without even a glance at the can, he chugged the entire thing, slamming the can down with a refreshing sigh. Jackson burst into raucous laughter.

"Well, we have our answer," Olivia said over Jackson's loud guffaws and took a dainty sip of her beer. Rene put out his hand.

"We're even," he said to Vale, who grinned and shook the boy's hand. Brinnie patted Vale on the head.

"Look's like little Vale is growing up," she said, earning more laughs from Jackson and a small scowl from Vale. "So what are we gonna do today?" she complained finally. Jackson turned to Olivia questioningly, and Rene turned to Vale.

"What can we do?" the small boy asked Vale. Vale looked to Olivia. The girl sighed.

"Does everyone always expect me to come up with something fun to do?" The group nodded collectively. "Fine," she muttered, the turned to Jackson. "How much weight can you carry?" she asked him. Jackson shrugged. "Can you carry Vale?" AT those words, Jackson smirked, and Vale did a double take.

"What? Are you crazy?! But- He-" Vale tried to protest."Well you can't walk, so how else are we going to get you around?" she reasoned. Vale hung his head. He really had no choice. "Come on," she said to everyone, waving her hand slightly and standing up. Everyone pushed out of their chairs except Vale. Jackson shuffled over to his chair and pulled him away from the table, then lifted the boy easily into his arms and cradled him to his chest.

"And you couldn't just support me?" he huffed. Jackson chuckled.

"Not likely, gorgeous," he said. Vale wriggled a little to try and loosen the grip Jackson had on him, but it was no use.

"You're scaring him!" Brinnie giggled. Vale nodded.

"Yeah, you're scaring me with your awful flirting!" he mocked Jackson. Jackson smiled at him.

"At least I can flirt," he shot back. The rest of the group, chuckling slightly, made their way out the front door toward a small blue car that was parked on the side of the street, Jackson and Vale behind them. Everyone had left their beer cans on the table, and Vale prayed that they would return home in time for Vale to clean up the mess. Once everyone was situated in the car, Vale, Brinnie, and Rene wedged in the back seat, Jackson turned expectantly to Olivia. "So where exactly is it we're going?" he asked. Olivia giggled wickedly.

"To thecafé," she said like it was the most obvious thing in the world. Vale smiled inwardly.

That Olivia, she was unpredictable.

Edward spent most of Friday night at home, attempting to leave while Alice was latched onto him like a koala. "Edward Anthony Masen Cullen!" She screeched into Edward's ear, trying her hardest to hold him back. It wasn't working very well. Edward ignored her completely, pulling against her vice-like hold to get to the front door. In a last ditch attempt, Alice called for help. "Jasper!" She yelled up the stairs of the house. She knew that her husband and brother, as well as her other siblings were hearing everything that was happening, waiting for Alice to call them, knowing the girl was the closest to Edward. Jasper, followed by both Rosalie and Emmett, dashed down the stairs at an inhuman pace and latched onto their brother. The group pulled him over to the couch and looked down on him, waiting for an explanation. Edward could no longer ignore the situation.

"If I stay here," he began calmly, making a move to get up from the couch, "I'll hurt him." Emmett pushed Edward forcefully back down.

"You can't leave," Alice stated simply. Edward stared at her.

"Alice, you should know how hard it is," he said quietly. He had seen Alice's visions. When she had them, while Edward was watching Vale from the tree, a thousand scenarios had played out inside both siblings minds, originating from Alice. There had been one where Edward killed Vale, one where he had turned him, and a thousand other grim possibilities. And then she had stopped with the visions. Everything that had anything to do with Vale disappeared completely. It had scared Edward so much he was sure if his heart was still beating, it would have stopped.

"Yes, Edward, I do know exactly how hard it is. But you didn't kill Vale, Edward, and I think you have enough self control and the intelligence to realize that by leaving, you're not helping anyone. Vale needs someone now more than ever, and you're the one it has to be," she told him, her hands on her hips. "We're not letting you go, if we have to keep you here until Carlisle gets back." Edward continued to stare pleadingly at Alice. She didn't even blink. Well, not that she had to.

"Fine," he muttered, "I'll stay, but I'm not going near him again until I'm forced to see him at school." Alice smiled triumphantly.

_You know, it's really your fault_ Emmett thought. Edward snapped his eyes to his brother. If looks could kill…

"How would this be my fault?" Edward seethed. He could feel Jasper's attempts to calm him. They didn't do much, considering how angry Emmett was making him.

_You're the one butting in on his business_ And that drew it. Edward sprung out of his seat, overpowering everyone holding him down and sprung at Emmett. Emmett, who hadn't expected Edward's reaction at all, was thrown into the farthest wall. He went crashing through the window that was situated behind him and tumbled into the front lawn, glass crashing everywhere and drywall springing from the broken parts of what used to be a white wall. Edward was fighting desperately to follow Emmet through the new door he had made, but with lightning reflexes, Rosalie had grabbed hold of Edward's arm, and Jasper wrapped himself around Edward's middle. Alice was pushing on Edward from the front, her palms pressed flat against his chest.

"DAMNIT, EDWARD! WHAT DID HE SAY?" Jasper spat icily. Jasper was never this angry, never allowed himself to loose control. But his brother had just attacked another one of his brothers, and he wasn't going to stand for it. Alice glanced toward her struggling husband.

"THAT BASTARD MADE FUN OF MY MATE," Edward growled, lurching forward. Alice had to use all her strength to hold him back. "LET ME RIP HIS HEAD FROM HIS SHOULDERS!" He screeched. Rosalie reached for Edward's head and gripped it roughly.

"Try and I'll rip yours off," she whispered into his ear.. Regardless, everyone heard. And dear old Carlisle picked that moment to walk in the door.

"I can hear everyone screaming from the hospital," he assessed calmly. "What's going on?" Alice released her hold on Edward, who was beginning to calm down.

"Edward nearly lost control. He went to Vale's, and Vale went outside. Edward was sitting in the tree Vale chose to sit on and cut his wrist." Carlisle looked over to his son, who was now barely putting up a meek fight. Emmett stayed outside in fear.

"So Edward has been inflicting self harm?" He asked quietly to his son. Edward nodded slightly, hanging his head. "Why did he attack Emmett?" He muttered. Rosalie hissed.

"Emmett let his mouth go off," Jasper replied, "Well, not his mouth. His thoughts.

"He insulted my mate!" Edward defended himself strongly. Carlisle turned to the hole in the wall.

"Esme won't like this," he said, then turned to Edward. "You're getting too protective of him, son. I'm afraid if you wait much longer to claim him, you'll do something you regret," Then he called for Emmett. "Fix this," he commanded the brawny teen. Emmett gaped.

"Why should he do it?!" Rosalie gasped, siding immediately with Emmett, "Edward was the one who threw him against it!"

"Because it's instinctual and unintentional for Edward. Emmett needs to learn to control what he says about others, not just Edward's mate," he explained coolly, walking toward Edward.

"But all I said was-" Carlisle shook his head as Edwards hands curled into tight fists. Emmett's lips pursed before he nodded curtly and ran toward the kitchen. Rosalie scowled slightly, then followed Emmett.

"Edward," he began gently, reaching his arms out to Edward. Edward looked into Carlisle's bright gold eyes. He stepped carefully into the embrace, being patted consolingly on the back. Carlisle released him. "Your bond is getting stronger. I'm not suggesting you turn him but-"

"Than what are you suggesting, Carlisle? I confess to him I love him? I bring him back here? I spend time with him, and somehow ignore his scent completely? And turn him when he asks? It doesn't work that way, Carlisle," he snarled.

"No, of course it doesn't, what I'm suggesting is that you get close to him. Be friendly, say hello. Befriend him Edward. He needs a you. He doesn't know it yet, but that's what the empty feeling he has is. That's why he's doing what he does. I know it will be hard to ignore the scent, but I trust you. If you can run away from the fresh blood of your mate, I think you can stand to sit next to him in class."

"I'll try," Edward agreed. "But I'm going to be as honest as I can be without scaring him. If he really is my mate like you say-"

"He is."

"If he really is my mate, then I should be able to tell him everything and not let him get a shock when things get too far."

"I agree," Carlisle smiled warmly. "What will you do now? You have a week before you have to face him."

"You heard?" Edward looked up in shock. Carlisle nodded.

"He's the first suspended student in a decade. How could I not?" The man joked. Edward nodded. "So what will you do?"

"Stay the hell away from him, that's for sure."

The café was loud, busy, and small. The succulent aroma of coffee beans filled the dusty air, detracting from the tack furniture. There were three booths on each side of the small room, the seats covered in deep green vinyl with old, peeling plastic tabletops covered in thin, wood pattern paper. Vale loved it. In the middle of the room against the back wall was a long counter covered in freshly made pastries, being crowded by shouting customers. A woman who looked to be about forty with long, white blonde ahir and pale skin, and the largest set of breasts Vale had ever seen was standing behind the counter at a cash register, punching buttons frantically and screaming orders to the kitchen behind her. There was a large opening with a shorter counter that was covered in plates. There was a man who looked to be around his forties as well, with black hair peeking through a paper chef's hat. He was wearing a stained white apron and was leaning his head through the small window, yelling things to the entire café.

"Vale, those are my foster parents," Olivia stated happily, holding out her arms grandly like a game show model presenting a prize someone had won. "Nikki and Tom make the best coffee in Washington." she boasted. Vale smiled.

"Well, I'll have to try some." He said. Olivia linked her arm into his. After a bit of bickering, it was decided that Vale was fit enough to walk if he held onto someone's arm, and much to Jackson's objection, Olivia had taken it upon herself to relive Vale of his misery and be that lucky person.

"Why not now?" she suggested happily. Vale looked at her.

"They're pretty busy…" he hesitated, but was soon being dragged away by Olivia.

"Nikki! Five coffees!" Olivia called over the yelling customers.

"Liv, dear! Who is your new friend?!" The woman called back, completely ignoring her current customer. Olivia smiled and beckoned the rest of the group to follow. The walked toward a door off to the right of the counter and entered.

Inside the kitchen, it was much quieter. The man Vale had noticed earlier, Tom, was turning around and around, like a dog chasing his tale, in the tiny kitchen, pouring coffee and frying an assortment of foods. "Tom, this is Vale Swan," she said to the man, who turned around swiftly to face the group that were now taking up half of his kitchen.

"Nice to meet you, Vale," he breathed, a watery smile spreading across his face. He reached for a towel and rung his hands into it, drying off any grease before offering his hand to shake. Vale took it gladly and shook it forcefully. If his dad had taught him one thing, it was that a strong handshake worked wonders on impressions. "Liv, why don't you go take a seat and I'll bring you all cups of coffee?" he offered exasperatedly. Olivia was making to leave when Vale stopped her.

"Are you waiting and cooking tonight?" Vale asked the man. Tom looked at him, shocked for a minute, before nodding. "Well, you look like your really busy."

"Every night," Tom confirmed.

"Maybe," he sighed. He needed this, it was such an opportunity, "Sir, I really need a job, and you all look so busy… I've sprained my ankle, so I can't wait, but maybe I can cook? Sir, please, do you need anyone to work for you?" Tom was taken aback for a moment. Vale had been so blunt. It didn't surprise him that Vale needed a job, though. His clothes looked a size too small and his shoes were so beaten it looked as if he never took them off.

"I'd be so glad," he finally sighed, tossing the towel he still had to the side. "You can make coffee?" Vale nodded.

"I was a baristor in my old town," he informed Tom. Of course, it was a blatant lie. He had never had a job in El Paso, his mom wouldn't let him get one. But he had filled in for David for a week while his best friend was sick, and he knew all there was to know about coffee and cafés.

"Well, I'll wait tonight, but that will be your job. Please, help," Olivia's foster father gladly accepted the help, hen dashed from the kitchen. Vale watched through the small window as Tom informed his wife of the change. At first, the woman looked wary, but after a few more words, she was beaming. She threw a grateful glance to Vale before shouting out more orders. Vale set to work immediately, barely noticing when Olivia hugged him and whispered her thanks into his ear, and the rest of the group filed slowly out of the kitchen.

Cooking was relatively easy, as Vale had cooked for his mother plenty of times, and the coffee maker was simple. Soon, an hour had passed, then two, and finally, the customers were dying down. After a total of three hours and forty-three minutes later, Vale was slumped in a green booth, wedged between Olivia and Jackson, discussing Vale's new work schedule.

"Of course, you can start waiting once your ankle is better, but for now we can stick a chair in the kitchen and you can cook," Mrs. Simon offered enthusiastically. Mr. Simon nodded while he sipped his cup of coffee.

"That would be amazing, Mrs. Simon, Mr. Simon," he thanked them. They had been sitting here for about thirty minutes now, and had finally worked out a schedule to work around Vale's school work. It was already around noon now, and Vale really needed to get home. He nudged Olivia.

"Nikki, Tom, Vale needs to get home," she said, sliding out of the booth. Vale followed and was helped up by Jackson, who left his hands on Vale's ass a little too long.

"Sure, sure," Mr. Tom replied cooly, "Have a good rest of your day, Vale, Olivia, guys," he nodded toward the other three. After bidding their goodbye's Vale was now being led to the car.

"I still can't believe my luck," Vale chuckled. Olivia smiled, but it was cut short when she walked out the door. "I mea- Oh, hi dad…" Vale greeted the man standing outside the café. "What are you doing here?" He said, scratching the back of his neck, his cheeks staining with a dark blush.

"I came for lunch," his father answered shortly, "I thought I grounded you, Vale."

"You did Dad, but-"

"What? What possible excuse could you have for this?" Vale lowered his head.

"I feel coming down the stairs this morning," Akin's facial expression changed from angry to worried in a second. Vale noticed and his head shot up to assure his father that he was alright, "I'm fine, but I screwed up my ankle pretty bad, and couldn't get up. Olivia came to check up on me and see how the punishment was going, and she sort of saved me. She invited me to come meet her parents, so we called Jackson for a ride and we came here… Dad I'm so sorry I didn't respect you or anything," he apologized. Akin sighed.

"Well, I had expected something like this," he ran his hand thorugh his hair. Vale looked up at his father.

"You did?" he questioned. Akin nodded.

"Well, what were you supposed to do all week?" Vale smirked.

"Oh, you don't have to worry about that anymore, Mr. Swan," Olivia patted Vale proudly on the top of the head. "Your son got a job waiting here." Akin looked genuinely happy.

"Well, son, that sounds great. What time do you have to get up and come? We can work your new punishment around that."

"What new punishment?" Vale groaned. Akin smiled evily.

"Depends what time you have to get to work," he told him. Vale sighed.

"I have to be at work by seven every morning this week," he complained. "And I have to walk!" Akin chuckled before walking into the café.

"Well, I think that's punishment enough," he called over his shoulder before disappearing to the left toward Olivia's parents. Punishment as far as Akin knew, and that's how Vale planned to keep it.


	7. Little One

Vale went through his morning routine on sunday, getting ready for work, never realizing exactly what time it was. He showered, threw on the silvery jeans from under his bed that he had worn Friday with a lime green t-shirt that broadcasted his favorite band, All Time Low. He found one of David's old button downs (From David - HA! I'm in TWO stories!) that was black and white checked with long sleeves. When he finally got out the door, he noticed that it was still pitch black outside. "Aw, fuck, and I really don't want to go back inside," he muttered to himself. The house was eerie in the mornings and strangely enough, he felt much safer outside. Plus, he could probably have a glass of coffee before the first customers came in. He missed sneaking into the teacher's lounge to steal a doughnut when he lived in El Paso. And now that he had a job at a cafe, they proabaly wouldn't mind if he had himself a cup. He guessed he would just get a move on, then, and head toward work. It wasn't raining this early in the morning, it was just abnormally cold. Vale deduced, looking around at all the abandoned shops and alleys, that Forks was really shady. He picked up his pace, trying not to worry at what he could have sworn were footsteps behind him. It had to be his imagination playing tricks on him. Regardless, he sped up, but the steps quickened too. "Aw, jeez, it's probably nothing." He reassured himself, as he spotted the coffee shop up ahead. It had it's light on. Perfect. That meant Olivia's foster parents were already setting up for the day, meaning there would be a steaming pot of freshly brewed waiting for him. He was relived, until a shadow appeared behind him. That's when he broke into a dead sprint. And that's when someone grabbed him from behind. And that's when Vale realized that the stupidest thing he could have ever done was walk to work this early.

"If you scream, I'll kill you," a voice purred in his ear. Vale stopped trying to scream, but he didn't stop fighting. "Stop!" the voice hissed, and then he felt teeth crushing down on his ear until they drew blood. Vale stopped. He knew it was useless. He was about to die. He started praying in his head, apologizing to Jacob for kicking him out, and sending his love to his dad, saying his goodbyes to Michael and LeAnne, and even Anna, because he wished he had more time to spend with the friends who were slowly growing on him, and silently hoping that Olivia didn't miss him too much, and apologizing to Jackson for being so cold at his flirting attempts, and praying that Brinnie and Rene (From Rene - Ha! At least I'm not DEAD!) wouldn't be too sad, and hoping that he would get in to heaven, even if he wasn't straight, and see David up there. It was over. "Good boy," the voice commended, and a tongue lapped at the teeth marks. "Such a pretty whore, so pretty." the voice growled. Then Vale realized he would die if he was lucky. What this man planned to do was much, much worse. "Now listen to me." Vale nodded, and the hand tightened. "I'm going to let go. If you scream, if you fight, or if you try to escape, I will kill you. But if you behave, maybe I'll let you live." Vale nodded again. So there was a chance he might live. And maybe he would be found before this guy could do anything. He really hoped so. The hand released it's death grip around him and Vale drew in a deep breath. Oh god. He was screwed. He was going to die. Why wasn't anyone helping him?

The figure behind him steered him into the nearest alleyway. As much as he tried, however, Vale couldn't see where it was. "I'm going to make you scream for mercy, pretty whore. I'm going to make you hurt." And then Vale felt fingers tearing at his jeans, and then his boxers. "Such a pretty whore," he felt those fingers violating him, teasing at his small hole, and then, with no pretense, the man slammed his erection into Vale. When had he taken off his pants?

"AWWW! YOU FUCKER!" Vale couldn't help the scream that escaped his lips. But instead of what he feared, being killed, the figure chuckled.

"Oh, the pretty whore wants it, does he? Be careful of the names you use, pretty whore," the sinister voice warned him, and he felt that tightness leave, and under false hope, thought it may just be over. He hoped in vain, however, because all too soon, the rapist was slamming into Vale's tight hole. It hurt worse than any pain he had ever felt in his entire life, and for a fleeting moment, Vale would have given anything to be back with his mom, to be hit one-hundred times, to be killed even, anything but this. The figure slammed into him, growling and moaning into Vale's ear, and he could do nothing. Vale was pressed into a wall, with no way to escape. Tears began falling down his red cheeks. It was terrible, excruciating pain. He wanted to scream out in horror, but his voice was caught in his throat. What had lasted only an estimated time of fifteen minutes felt like an hour to Vale. And then the tightness was gone, and Vale was caught in a euphoria of pain and suffering, sobbing, and he barely heard when the criminal muttered lies into his ear.

"I'll come back for you, precious. You will be mine. And I will love you as you will me," he whispered before nipping at Vale's ear. Lies. He didn't love Vale. But in his state, Vale nodded sharply and whimpered. A chuckle sounded through his barely conscious mind. Anything, he'd agree to anything just for the man to leave him alone. His wish was answered as the man's fleeing steps could be heard through the alley as Vale choked his cry of desperation. The stranger's seed was spilling down his legs, and Vale was alone in the alley, in the dark, and sobbing. He reached down to try and soothe the aching and throbbing, but to no avail, and when he brought his fingers up again, they were covered in pinkish cum. He collapsed down to the filthy floor. And he could feel the searing tears, and his sore legs, and the wetness, but all he really registered was how numb he was, and the words the had been whispered in his ear. "Pretty whore."

"EDWARD!" Alice screamed. Her eyes were glazed over. She was slumped against the couch, Jasper sitting next to her. The entire family had been happily chatting on Sunday morning, and Edward, as he had been doing all weekend, was staying home so he could stay away from Vale. Carlisle had been about to leave for the hospital. No one expected what Alice said next. "Run! Go! Someone! Someone raped Vale!" Everyone in the house looked then to Alice. Carlisle looked disgusted and shocked, Esme horrified, Rosalie dropped the glass bowl she had been carrying, and didn't even attempt to catch it, Emmett stared at his brother, Jasper tried to calm everyone down, and Edward tore from the house. Carlisle pulled his Jacket from the coat rack by the front door and headed to the hospital, where he expected Edward would bring the little teen who had nearly sent Edward over the edge, and who he cared for with such passion. What a great way to meet the little one who Alice had predicted would join their family. Edward was tearing through the woods that led to the large house he called home. Whatever sick bastard had done this, he would pay.

Vale had blacked out with the pain, but he was waking again, and he was full of fear. He was being held in tight, cold arms, his jeans still around his ankles, and his shirt wrinkled and partially unbuttoned, and he was shivering. He could feel wind rushing past him, and it was so dark. Fearing it was the figure back again for more, Vale began thrashing. "NO! NO! PLEASE NO MORE! No…" He sobbed. The arms tightened. He couldn't take anymore. He would die from pain and humiliation, from shock. He was so tired, and so scared. He just wanted to go home. To forget this mess. To have done anything but decided on getting a cup of coffee before work that morning.

"Shush, little one. You are safe," he heard the velvet voice above soothe him. He ceased thrashing. His eyes felt glued shut, and the strangled sobs that had been escaping him were quieting. Vale tried as hard as possible to open his eyes and see who it was who rescued him. He needed to thank them. He trusted this voice, the one that told him he was okay, he was going to live. It was too beautiful not to trust. He finally forced his eyes to crack open just enough to glimpse his savior. He was shocked when he did.

"E-Edward?" He choked. He recognized the face that stared down at him. It was the rude boy from trigonometry, the caring boy from lunch on his first day at school in Forks, the boy who had disappeared for a month afterward. The boy he had forgotten about, but who had never stopped thinking about Vale. Edward shut his eyes tightly as if trying to fight back the tears that wouldn't come. He opened them again and looked down into the emeralds before him. They used to be so bright. But now they were so dull, so very dull.

"Yes, little one, now shush, I will take care of you." Those eyes, the golden eyes that Vale was looking at, they were so sad, so sad. Vale wanted to soothe the eyes. To tell them not to be so sad. And the voice, it was shaking. He wanted to tell the voice to not shake, that everything was okay. And to believe it was himself. He trusted the voice, and nodded slightly before closing his eyes shut again and blacking out. Believing he was safe.

Edward was running, sprinting at an inhuman speed through the dense forest toward the hospital where his father worked. This little one in his arms was his number one priority right now, and he would make him safe again. The little miracle in his arms had confused him for so long. He smelled so good, Edward almost couldn't stand to be near him. And it didn't help that to Edward, who could hear everyone's thoughts, this little teen was silent. He didn't know how he did it. How could he be so different? What made mate's so special? He had spent only a few short days, but what felt like an eternity to Edward away from the human so he wouldn't break and attack him, but while he was away, all he wanted was to go back to that tree and watch and figure the little human out. And here he was, no closer to figuring him out than when he started. The only thing that had changed was the burn in the back of his throat. The instinct that told him to kill his little one. It was virtually non-existent now, it was still there, but it was as easy to control as it was around any other human. But Vale was not any other human.

Edward was at the hospital in no time, the little figure clutched in his arms, and the first thing he did when he got inside was scream bloody murder for Carlisle. "CARLISLE!!" he shouted through the hospital. A number of nurses tried to pry the prone little figure he carried away from him, but Edward didn't allow it. He held so tightly yet so gently to the little one in his arms that he knew, then, that he could never leave him. This little one was his, and only his. No one would ever harm him. "CARLISLE!" he called again when the doctor didn't come. A pretty brunette nurse reached and wrapped her arms around Vale's torso, but Edward glared at her and she backed off immediately. Then a tall blonde man appeared at the end of the hallway and ran at a quick human pace over to his son and the victim he held. Edward surrendered the boy into Carlisle's arms only. He watched as the little head lolled and swayed while he exchanged hands. And then he was carried away, and Edward wished he hadn't given up his little one after all.

For two hours Edward had been watching Vale sleep. Despite a few lacerations, and the fact that he would be sore the next day, Vale escaped with minimal physical damage. Carlisle had predicted that he would experience a bit of mental trauma and post dramatic stress, and if Carlisle wasn't the doctor he was, the hospital would have to admit Vale to the psychiatric ward where he would stay over night for the doctors and nurses to submit him to painful memory tests. After a lot of reconciliation and a few hours of Edward's screaming and fighting, Carlisle had reached the decision to discharge Vale without recommendation. They had even made plans to have Vale stay with them. Amazingly, Vale had remained peacefully asleep during all this. He was now stirring.

"Oh, god no, please," came a strained voice from the bed. Edward's head shot over to where it originated. Vale was laying there, eyes shut painfully tight, thrashing around in the covers. Edward nearly tripped in his haste to reach Vale. But, when he got there, an overwhelming urge to hear what the little one was dreaming overpowered the urge to wake him. Unable to decide, he kept one arm at his side and the other hovering over the figure. He didn't remain like this for long, because the boy spoke again. "No, no," the teen begged. "No! Pretty whore…" Edward was nearly thrown over the edge with rage. The monster who did this would pay with his life. "Olivia… Dad… Oh, god, Jacob…" So Jacob Black? That little voice, begging for Jacob Black. Well, at least he was with someone normal and not with a monster. Edward just prayed the Jacob wouldn't transform and- "EDWARD! Edward, please, please, help!" The little voice screamed and begged.

"No, no little one, not me," Edward murmured. He had had enough. Slowly, he began shaking Vale's slight shoulders until the pleading stopped and the emerald green eyes cracked open. They were still as dull as they had been when Edward found Vale, and he wondered if they would ever be so bright again.

"E-Edward?" Vale stuttered. Edward, his face full of pain, nodded slightly, then sat back abruptly.

"I should go. I just wanted to make sure you were okay." he said as he stood up to exit the room. Vale's eyes widened.

"No! I mean, no, please stay." He looked down at his hands, which were wringing nervously in his lap. Edward sighed and sat back down. "Why are you being so nice to me all of a sudden?" He questioned, regaining his confidence. Edward sat back down and looked directly into Vale's eyes.

"You were raped, Vale," Vale grimaced at the word, "What was I supposed to do? Leave you to suffer?"

"No, but you aren't telling me the whole truth, or starting at the beginning," he shot. Edward was mildly surprised. This little human was smarter and more intuitive than most. "Why don't you start at the beginning?"

Edward chuckled, then under his breath, asked, "Which beginning? The one where I found you? Or the one in 1918?" He didn't bank on Vale catching that.

"What's that supposed to mean?" He glared. Edward's face hardened.

"Nothing. You need to rest," but Vale wasn't having any of that.

"Oh, come off it. I'm not resting until you tell me what happened."

"I was walking to school. I saw a guy run out of an alley up the street so I went to see what was going on. I found you, and I rushed you to the hospital." He explained simply. It was a believable cover-up story.

"I call bull shit," Vale smirked. Edward stared at him. "Explain a few things to me, will you? First, why were you walking to school so early? On a SUNDAY?" Shit… it was Sunday… "And if you found a passed-out kid in an alley, bleeding from the ass," his legs throbbed as if to punctuate his sentence, "with his jeans around his ankles, why wouldn't you call for help? Why would you pick him up and run to the hospital? And explain this to me, because I've been raped, I don't have amnesia," he asked, his voice filling with anger, "how did you get to the hospital so fast? I'm not an idiot, I can do math. It's 8:47 am now, and I left to work at around 6:00. I estimate I walked for five minutes before I was attacked, and that it took the guy fifteen to violate me. That makes the time around 6:20. And, I remember catching a glimpse of the clock when you handed me over to someone. It read 6:24. SO, I ask you Edward, if this hospital is five miles from the coffee shop I had been heading to, how the hell did you get over here so fast? I also recall, it was windy when you were carrying me. It wasn't windy when I left to school." It was quick thinking to out smart this kid.

"Weather changes. And I was in my car, that's how I got here so fast," he excused lamely.

"Shut up," Vale rolled his eyes, "Why would I feel the wind if we were in a car? And how did you drive with me in your arms? You ran, I know you did. And you carried me. But you ran faster than any other human in the world. You're not human, that's for sure," But Jacob couldn't possibly… No, there was no way. It wasn't real. But… now Vale was mainly musing to himself.

"You're delirious," Edward tried, but his voice was shaking. How did he figure it out so fast?

"Cut the crap and just tell me," Vale smirked, "I'm not going to tell anyone, but I want to know, I want to know why you couldn't stand to be near me, and why you disappeared for a month, and where you were. I want to know how you found me. I just want to know." Edward sighed, then stood up, and ignoring Vale's whimpers and begging, began walking from the hospital room.

"What do you think I am?" Edward dodged the question, his head turning slightly to the side in acknowledgement. Vale sighed.

"I already know what you are. But I need you to tell me, because if you don't I don't have permission to officially KNOW." Polite little kid, this one was.

"Carlisle," he said, under his breath when he was standing in the doorway. Carlisle arrived next to him in seconds. He walked into Vale's room and sat down next to the boy, who moaned and turned.

"How are you, Vale?" he said brightly, but it was just a cover to speak with Edward. _What is it?_ he thought. Edward picked up on it.

"Fine, sir," Vale replied brightly, then glared at Edward. "I've been talking with your son. He saved me. Thank you."

"Well, it was nothing," Carlisle smiled down at Vale, "You should be thanking Edward, though. I only came in here to take your blood pressure." he said as he strapped a blue meter around Vale's arm.

"Yeah, I guess," Vale grunted. Edward couldn't help the small smile that cracked against his lips.

"He wants to know. He figured out so much already. He's very observant," Edward replied in one breath. No one but Carlisle would be able to hear him.

_Are you asking me if you can tell him?_ Smart. Carlisle already knew exactly what Edward was going to ask. "Yes," Edward responded in the same manner as before. _Well, it's your choice, son. But if I were you, I would tell him sooner rather than later. He'll only grow more restless to know. It might impair his ability to recover._ Edward watched as Vale grimaced at the tightening blood pressure meter expanded.

"Great, Vale, you're all set." Carlisle spoke, and unstrapped the meter from Vale's arm, who sighed in relief. "You can leave later today, but we were actually going to check up on where it is you stay until I think you've recovered enough. We'll work that out when you're dad comes."

"M'kay," Vale beamed as Dr. Carlisle Cullen walked briskly from the room. Edward sighed. "Now tell me," Vale commanded, "What exactly it is you are, and what you were talking to Carlisle about that I couldn't hear." How did he notice that?

Sighing, Edward took a seat next to Vale. He might as well tell him. "Vale, you've amazed me by noticing all the things you have, so I think it's only fair that-"

"PEANUT? PEANUT?! WHERE IS MY SON?!" interrupted Akin's frantic voice through the hospital. Well that was inconvenient. In the background he could also hear what sounded like Olivia sobbing and multiple pairs of feet. Akin came crashing into Vale's hospital room. "OH MY GOD! PEANUT! Are you okay?!" Akin sobbed, and snatched Vale into his arms. Vale winced. Over his father's shaking shoulder, he watched as Olivia came running into the room as well, followed by Michael, LeAnne, Anna, Jacob, Rene, Brinnie, Jackson, Olivia's foster parents, and Billy Black, Jacob's father. Olivia collapsed onto the bed behind Vale, crushing him into a hug.

"Jesus, dad, what did you do? Invite everyone in town?" he joked while the group pulled up chairs around his bed. Akin sobbed harder, and Vale rolled his eyes.

"I'm glad you're okay, Peanut," he sniffed into Vale's shoulder once he had calmed down.

"Dad, I'm fine," he muttered. Olivia smacked him on the shoulder. "FUCK! Olivia! What was that for?" He yelped. Olivia stared her mascara streaked eyes into Vale's make-up covered ones.

"F-for saying-ing that you're f-fine!" She choked, "Y-you're n-n-not!" Vale frowned ever so slightly.

"What do you mean, I'm not fine? I'm alive, aren't I? I'm not hurt very badly, am I?" he comforted the girl. Olivia resisted when Vale tried to pull her into a hug.

"Vale, Olivia is right," Jacob said quietly from the chair on the right. He had half a mind to hit the boy for siding with Olivia, but then he remembered the last time he saw him.

"Oh, Jacob," he gasped, holding out his arms. Jacob pulled Vale into an embrace. Vale started sniffling, until it turned into full-fledged crying. Jacob comforted him as best he could, patting the small boy's back and whispering reassurances into his ear. The two stayed like that for a few blissful moments, the people gathered around the bed watching in shock. Finally, Brinnie broke the silence.

"Vale?" She whispered hesitantly. Vale pulled away from Jacob. Everyone in the room was looking at him, and he had a feeling that LeAnne and Anna were crying because their faces were buried into a rather smug looking Michael.

"Yeah?" he replied and he dried his eyes with the back of his hand. Jacob reached his hand out to help, using the pad of his thumb to clear away newly shed tears.

"Why are there bandages on your arms?" Vale froze. Oh god damnit. Jacob carefully lifted Vale's arms from their place around his neck and held them out between the two, gathering his wrists into one hand. He was looking at them, confusion lacing his features.

"I-" he started. He was stuttering. Oh, shit. He was stuttering. They were going to know and they were going to lock him away in some insane asylum. He would have to cut his food with a spoon and…

"When I found him the rapist had mutilated him so badly that he was loosing a lot of blood. They're just cuts on his arms," came the silky voice from a chair in the corner. So Edward had been there when..? When he was crying and when his dad was talking and oh god this guy was such a dick.

"You're-you're the boy who saved my son?" Mr. Swan asked, turning to Edward. Vale could see gratefulness and approval spreading across his face.

"Yes, sir. My Name is Edward Cullen." Jacob sneered, Olivia sprung from the bed and rushed up to Edward, wrapping her arms around his neck. Vale watched as Edward tensed and watched as his jaw became tight. Three things happened in a rapid succession. First, Jacob threw Vale from his lap none too gently onto the bed, and sprung at Edward, throwing Olivia across the room. She slammed into the wall, and Nikki and Tom rushed toward her groaning form as she clutched her head. Everyone else's eyes were glued on Jacob and Edward, who were now both staring, their fists clutched. Second, Jacob suddenly stopped everything he was doing and rushed, panicking from the room, followed by Billy Black, who fumbled with his wheel chair and eyed Edward angrily before racing after his son. Third, Edward took one last glance at the room's stunned occupants and left, walking elegantly through the open doorway and disappearing away from the room. Vale could have sworn there weren't even any footsteps, but maybe that was because of the ringing in his ears.

Vale was now completely confused. What was that? What was with Jacob? And Edward? Whatever it was, Vale was pretty sure his quiet life in Forks, Washington was about to get a whole lot fucking wonderful.


	8. A New Name

After a lot of confusion and more crying, and an unconscious Olivia now having to stay in the hospital in Vale's place, Vale had fallen asleep to the beeping of his heart monitor. When he woke up, it was to the mumbling of voices.

"Not sure… happened earlier… Edward…" he heard. There was only small snippets of the conversation of the two people in his room, but he could have sworn that was his dad talking.

"No worries… rather in psychology ward… hospital trusts me…" That had to be Dr. Cullen discussing what he had explained to Vale about earlier. He was a little worried his dad was going to totally refuse whatever offer it was Dr. Cullen was making, because he really didn't want to spend more time in this damn place. There was sigh and a muttered, "fine" before he finally opened his eyes and lifted his hands to his eyes to rub away the sleep. "Ah, Vale! You're awake! How are you feeling?" Dr. Cullen greeted him cheerfully. Vale sighed.

"I'm tired and I'd like to go home," he grumbled. Dr. Cullen laughed.

"Well I'm afraid I'm going to have to give you some bad news," he said. Vale cocked an eyebrow at him. "Your father and I have agreed for you to stay at my home with my wife, children, and I until you have completely recovered. We know you don't want to stay at the hospital, and the board trusts me enough for you to stay with us. Of course, your father is also invited to stay," he mentioned, turning away from Vale toward Akin. Akin frowned slightly. "So, Vale, what do you say?"

"Of course, you don't have to, Peanut." Akin added.

"I'd like that, I guess it's better than here, eh?" Vale mumbled. Dr. Cullen chuckled and patted him on the shoulder.

"Well, we'll get you signed out right away. I think you've been here long enough. Would you like to see your friend Olivia before you go?" Vale moaned slightly.

"Yeah, I should…" He hesitated. "Where is she?" The blonde doctor motioned toward the door.

"She's in the room across from here. You can go visit her any time. We already unhooked all of your monitors, so you're about free," he stated cheerfully, on his way out the door to go sign Vale out. "When you're ready, your clothes have been washed and they're on the table," he said, pointing his pen toward the nightstand. Akin shuffled over to his son.

"Peanut, I'll go wait with Dr. Cullen," he said. Vale nodded slightly and watched as his father vanished. Then he sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

"Jesus, how long was I out?" he muttered to himself.

"All day," came a voice from the corner of the room. Vale watched as Edward Cullen stepped out from the shadows. "It's around six now."

"Why are you here? How long have you been here?" Vale questioned, drawing slightly away toward the edge of the bed. Edward ignored the latter question and answered carefully.

"I came to apologize about your friend."

"Yeah, well something about you set him off. You did something, you made Jacob…" his voice faded. He was not going to give Jacob's secret away. What if this Edward wasn't what Vale was sure he was?

"Not that friend."

"Well you owe _that friend_ an apology."

"I know," he answered simply. Vale made for the edge of the bed and slid off. His feet hit the floor, but his newly healed twisted ankle cracked sickeningly, re-injuring himself. He was about to collapse to the floor when two large, icy obstructions seized him around the middle. "Could you at least try not to kill yourself?" Edward growled, plopping Vale back onto the bed and rapidly releasing him. Vale gritted his teeth.

"Fuck off," he ground out. Edward knew that Vale was trying to be menacing, but he couldn't get over how cute his little mate got when he was angry. Edward immediately softened.

"Look, I'm sorry," he said, "But you need to be a lot more careful." Vale ignored him completely.

"You realize you just proved my theory? That you're not human? There's no way in hell you could get over here that fast. That, and you're freezing fucking cold. You feel like my best friend did when he died." Edward hated when the little one cursed, he did it way too much, and in Edward's opinion, overused the word fuck, but what bothered him was that Vale was so smart, so able to analyze every tiny detail around him, and how quickly he was able to draw conclusions. And it also bothered him that when Vale mentioned his friend, he cringed slightly. He wanted to draw the little one into a warm embrace, and hold him while he sobbed, but he knew the chances of Vale allowing him to do so were slim to none.

"I believe we already established that," Edward answered, "And I have full intentions of telling you why that is, but I believe our fathers are waiting for you," and Edward reached over and handed him the clothes folded on the dresser. Vale waited patiently for Edward to leave but when he didn't, he shook his hair from his eyes and pouted slightly.

"Are you going to leave so I can get dressed?" He asked. Edward smirked and turned around, crossing his arms. "Oh, come-" he started to complain, but Edward shook his head and snickered.

"Would you rather I watch? I'm not leaving. You might kill yourself."

Vale was going to argue, but finally he decided against it and slid out of the hospital gown he had been wearing and into the now torn at the knees jeans and newly ironed shirt. He made sure his bandages were hidden. When he finished, just as he did up the last button, Edward spun around.

"Why did you cover for me?" Vale asked, looking up toward the amber eyes. They looked darker…

"Because I expect an explanation, you owe me," he said simply, and began walking from the room. "I'll wait with your father and mine," and then he was gone.

"Weird," Vale mused, then stumbled from the bed and limped out the door to Olivia. He wasn't wearing any shoes yet, only the pair of socks the nurses had left on him, but he figured his father must have the ratty old things. "Hey, Liv," he waved toward the figure in the small hospital bed. She was leaning against a pillow reading a large book. He was pretty sure it was called Sharp Objects, but he couldn't be certain, for she had slammed it down and smiled brightly when he walked in.

"VALE! Are you going home?" she asked excitedly. "I just woke up, my mom and dad went to bring me something to do. I'm stuck here ALL NIGHT! You get raped and you get to go home after a little sleep, and I hit my head and have to stay here over night! You're so lucky you're Edward Cullen's boyfriend," she sighed dreamily.

"Wait, WHAT?!" Vale asked shocked, "Edward Cullen is NOT my boyfriend!" he argued. Olivia smiled slyly.

"Right," she smiled.

"He's NOT!"

"Okay, Vale, hun, whatever you say," she winked, "So do you feel better?" She changed the subject. Well, played, Liv, Vale thought.

"Yes, much. I came to say hello before I go home," he answered. Olivia nodded.

"Well, hello! I won't keep you from your boyfriend now," she teased, waving him off.

"Shut up Livvie," was the last thing he said, grinning at her, before he closed the door to her room and walked down the empty hall.

It turned out, the nurses had thrown out his ratty old converse and Alice, Edward's sister, had ran out and bought him a new pair. These had bright green laces instead of white ones. Vale liked them much better, but because he wouldn't have felt right having not, he threw a temper tantrum all the same over his lost shoes. He had only stopped when he had noticed Edward thoroughly enjoying his anger. Then he had civily thanked Dr. Cullen and extended his thank you to Alice, whom had only stopped by to drop off the footwear and would be awaiting his formal apology upon his arrival back "home". Then he, Edward and Dr. Cullen had loaded themselves into the car and headed toward the Cullen household.

Although Vale was certain it should be called the Cullen Manor.

The house, wait, no, castle, was, to say the least, the most amazing thing Vale had ever seen. An entire wall was made entirely of windows, letting in more light than Vale had ever seen in a house. The hole thing was large and open, with high ceilings and wooden floors and a grand staircase that lead up to a second floor. Vale was to stay here for the next two weeks to be observed by Dr. Cullen, and was going to be granted medical leave from school once his suspension was over. Akin had declined an offer to stay with the Cullens, trusting Carlisle completely, which Vale was glad for. It was already awkward enough, he didn't need his father to hover over his shoulder. Vale had been lead up to the home, flanked by Edward, which he found a little annoying. When he had mentioned it, however, Edward had only smiled mischievously.

"I hope you like our home," Dr. Carlisle said to Vale, waving his arms around at the open space. He proceeded up the stairs.

"It's amazing, Dr. Cullen," Vale answered, awestruck. He followed the man down a long hallway, past several doors. He stopped at the second to last door.

"This is your room, and the one next to it is Edward's, the one across is Alice and Jasper's, and down the hall is Rosalie and Emmett's, as well as my wife and mine's," he explain, pointing out the various doors. Vale nodded as Carlisle opened the door. "I'm sorry it's not perfect, but Esme and Rosalie had insisted on decorating," he said. Vale stepped into the large room.

To say it was spacious would be an understatement. The room was huge, almost as large as Akin's entire top floor, with a large, intricately carved black wooden bed. There was a small plasma screen television, with a long black leather couch covered in orange pillows, and a black desk and a comfortable looking chair sitting along the window. There was a small bonsai tree sitting proudly upon the desk. "Holy sh-cow" he whistled, changing his words at the last minute so as not to offend a now chuckling Dr. Cullen. "How did they know my favorite colors? And about the tree branch…"

"Your father may have mentioned it," Edward shrugged. Vale turned swiftly into him.

"You told them? Whatever it is my father said, you told them? You shouldn't have… it must have been so expensive…" Edward snickered.

"Vale, my wife and daughter were more than happy to have someone to experiment on. Chances are the rest of the week you'll be showered in clothing and gourmet food," Dr. Cullen beamed. Vale shrunk.

"I really couldn't, you can't go to so much trouble-"

"You try telling them. They'll hate you for ruining their fun." Edward told Vale. Vale frowned defeatedly.

"I believe you and Edward were discussing something before your father interrupted," Carlisle cocked an eyebrow. Edward nodded. "Well, I'll leave you to it." And he walked out.

Vale stationed himself on the edge of the large bed before beginning, "Tell me what you are." Edward swallowed slightly before joining Vale on the bed. It made the small boy uncomfortable, but he didn't fidget.

"I'm surprised you've figured so much out already," he answered wryly. "I think you already know exactly what I am, what my family is, and I would rather you tell me what you think-"

"I already told you though, why I won't do that, why you have to te-"

"No, and I'm giving you permission to, as you put it, "know", so tell me." Vale nodded before hanging his head.

"Jacob told me that I was in danger here," he said quietly. He had a feeling Edward could hear him, though. "That you were- That you had a mate and that I was yours." Edward nodded in confirmation, but also urging for Vale to continue. "You're…"

"You can say it," Edward assured the boy, reaching forward and pushing his chin up so Vale's green eyes were staring directly into his. "Tell me," he whispered.

"You're a vampire," he finally said, and quickly ducked his head. Edward stiffened slightly. So he did know exactly what was going on. Did he understand what being Edward's mate meant? Maybe… The bloodlust was almost gone… Could he control himself? He could try…

"Look at me," He said, trying his hardest to avoid saying Vale. The boy shook his head. "Please," he asked. Vale sighed slightly and looked up. Color stained his high cheekbones, and his black hair was falling in his face. The eye liner that rimmed his eyes was smudged from yesterday's ordeals. He couldn't have looked any more angelic. Without warning, Edward's lips came crashing down upon Vale, who for a second, was stunned. He was knocked back onto the bed, a vampire now loosely straddling his hips. Vale nearly screamed. He fought harshly to escape, pushing against the Vampire's chest with all of his might. Edward mistook it for lust and kissed Vale harder. Finally, though, Vale shook his head free and burried his cheek into the mattress.

"GET OFF!" He shouted, and Edward immediately complied, dashing from his position to the door. Vale had panic written across all of his features.

"Love, I'm so sorry!" He apologized. Vale bared his teeth.

"Don't call me that, you asshole! What are you doing?! Did you even think that maybe I'd like to think a little about the fact that I'm now your little whore or something?! That now I belong to you and you're a fucking VAMPIRE?! No, I'm just a pretty whore, aren't I?!" Vale was nearly sobbing now, "I bet it was you! You did this to me! You ruined me!" Vale's body shook with rage and sorrow. It made so much sense. Edward had to have been the figure, there was no other explanation. Realization of what Vale was driving at hit Edward like a ton of bricks.

"Oh, Love, no," he whispered, holding out his arms and walking toward Vale like he was a frightened animal. Vale was inching toward the pillows on the bed, burrowing into them to get away from the advancing Vampire. It hurt Edward to see Vale so afraid of him. The slight teen was now almost pressed against the headboard while Edward walked over to the bed's edge.

"Leave me alone," Vale sniffed, staring wide-eyed at Edward. The immortal frowned before he walked over to the headboard and extended his arms toward Vale, who did nothing to try and leave. Edward took this as his opportunity and encased Vale I his arms, pulling him toward his freezing chest. Vale fought weakly, but finally gave up all together and allowed himself to be held.

"I would never hurt you. Is that what you think? Love, I would never do that to you. You mean too much to me. You don't know how badly I wanted to kill whoever did this to you, you have no idea," Edward knew he would be crying himself if he could. Vale was now pressed into him, and after hearing Edward's reassurances, was beginning to wail again. "Shush, you're okay, you're safe," Edward rubbed Vale's back, holding him in his arms. He heard the door open and a few people walk in. His head turned toward the source of the noise. Standing in the doorway, Alice was beaming, her arms crossed matter-o-factly. Jasper was behind her, watching Vale intently. When Edward started to feel Vale calming down, he shook his head at the other vampire, who nodded. Edward knew Jasper must be having a hard time controlling his hunger, but trusted Alice enough to be sure that he wouldn't attck the little one. It just wasn't helping that he was trying to calm down the sobbing boy. He probably hadn't cried in ages, and Edward had a feeling he just needed to let it out. Standing behind Jasper, with a blank expression, was Rosalie. Edward could hear the war raging inside her.

_Poor thing, how could this happen? But he's a human! He doesn't deserve Edward! What if this ends badly?! But what just happened… and Edward saved him… Does he care so much for the little human? He's nothing! But Vale has been through so much. And he's not afraid of us… Edward deserves someone like him…_ Edward was slightly annoyed at a few of her thoughts, but he was glad her feelings toward his mate were changing. Rosalie had been through exactly what Vale had been through, so he was sure she could relate. He would have to find some way to remind her that she was no better than Vale when she was a human. Edward knew that Vale was just as beautiful, if not more, than Rosalie. Holding the blonde around the waist, was Emmett. He was watching Edward and Vale, waggling his eyebrows suggestively.

"Hi," came a timid voice, muffled by Edward's shirt. Edward hadn't even noticed Vale stop crying, which was odd for his vampiric senses. The boy was now pushing against Edward, who quickly released him. Vale hadn't expected this and fell backward onto the bed, tumbling onto the pillows and sending them everywhere.

"AW! He's so cute!" Alice cooed. "I can't wait to take him shopping. Hello, Vale!" Vale chuckled nervously, wiping his moist eyes on his shirt sleeve."

"Uh, how do you know my name?" He asked. Alice giggled. "Oh, Edward has told us all about you. I'm Alice."

Vale looked at Edward curiously. Edward shrugged. "Vale, this is Alice, Jasper, Roaslie, and Emmett." Edward introduced the cluster of people by the door. "Vale's staying here for a few weeks, thanks to the, ah, incident." It seemed that it was then that Rosalie realized how alike she was to Vale, as she pushed her way through the crowd and rushed toward Vale. Pressed into a crushing hug, she began running her fingers through his hair.

"I'm so, so sorry. I'm so sorry," she murmured into his hair, pressing small kissed to his forehead. Vale was completely confused.

"Do I have a twin or something here that you all are mistaking me for? What did you do wrong?" He asked Rosalie pulled him in tighter.

"Rose, you're going to suffocate him," Emmett chuckled, earning and rapid head nod and pleading eyes from Vale. Emmett only laughed harder, clutching his stomach. Edward glared slightly at his brother before attempting to pry Rosalie away from his mate.

"Well…" Rosalie said, pushing away from Vale, but keeping him at arms length. "I'm sorry, Vale, that I thought my family and I were better than you. But it's obvious you mean a lot to Edward, so that makes you important to me, and Vale, I know how it is. To be, you know…" No way. Rosalie had been..? No. Who would do that to her? She was just too… pretty.

"I'm sorry that happened to you…" Vale told her sincerely. Rosalie nodded slightly. Vale knew he should probably change the subject, so he turned toward the rest of the group. "Eh, so now what?" he asked quietly. Alice danced across the room toward Vale, Jasper gliding along behind her, and Emmett bounding toward Rosalie. Edward pulled the desk chair toward the bed and sat down in it, next to where Vale was now sitting with his feet hanging over the edge. Jasper stood behind Edward, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, Emmett next to him. Rosalie kept her place on the bed, but had moved so she was kneeling next to Vale. Alice sat down on the bed cross legged behind him, placing her hands in his hair and messing around with the shiny black locks. Edward couldn't help but be a little jealous of the way he relaxed into her touch.

"Aw, look! He already likes me! We're going to be best friends, Vale," she said giddily. Vale blushed. "Hey, Esme? He's all relaxed now," she spoke. As soon as she had finished her sentence, a short woman, who looked barely in her early thirties, appeared in the doorway. She had butter colored tight curly hair and pale skin like the rest of the Cullens. Had she been standing there? Or was she like Edward? A vampire who was impossibly fast and had extreme hearing? Well, of course she was. They all had to be vampires. There was no other explanation.

"Hello, Vale hunny," she greeted him cheerfully. Vale smiled politely at her. Esme walked over to Edward and placed her thin hands on his shoulders.

"Hello, Mrs. Cullen," he greeted her.

"Oh, please, call me Esme. Mrs. Cullen makes me feel so old," she laughed. Her laughter and voice sounded like silk, it was absolutely one of the most wondrous things he had ever heard. The only voice that rivaled it was Edward's. Wait. Did he really just think that? There was no way. No. He didn't find Edward Cullen attractive, and he didn't have the urge to sigh contentedly when Edward spoke, and he didn't wonder what it would feel like to fall asleep on top of him. Speak of the devil, it was Edward's voice that pulled him from his thoughts.

"What are you thinking?" Edward asked him, a little bit agitated. Why couldn't he hear the little one? Why did being his mate have to make him impossible to hear? It wasn't at all fair.

"Oh, nothing," Vale covered for himself. Great comeback, Vale. Now let's try to think of a convincing one, shall we?

"You were thinking something. It bugs me that I don't know. I know what everyone is thinking but you." Wait, what? How did he know what people were thinking? Why didn't he know what Vale was thinking? For some reason, Vale was a little thankful for that fact. "I can hear people's thoughts. Some vampires have special abilities. Jasper can control emotions, and Alice can see the future. I can hear the thoughts of every mind I've ever come across. Except yours." Vale nodded slowly.

"So, when I was crying," he blush grew, "That calming sensation. That was Jasper?" Jasper and Edward nodded at the same time. Wow, Vale noticed everything. Edward wasn't surprised though. Vale noticed Jasper hadn't said a word to him.

"Yes, it was him. Jasper is the newest member of our family, so it's harder for him to resist killing humans. That's why he hasn't been talking to you," Edward explained Jasper's lack of words. He may not be able to hear the teen's thoughts, but he had very expressive eyes. Edward's explanation didn't help Vale understand. "Our family drinks the blood of animals instead of humans." Now Vale understood. So it must be hard for them to resist humans. They must miss the taste of human blood. Animals must taste different…

"Vale, we wanted to talk to you about the fact that you're Edward's mate," Esme told Vale. Vale looked at her confusedly. "Well, didn't he tell you? You're his mate, Vale. The one he spends all eternity with?" Vale nodded.

"He mentioned it…" Vale hung his head, "But I was too scared and shaken to understand what he was saying. I- I thought he was the man who-"

"He thought I was the bastard who raped him," Edward growled angrily. He shot forward out of his chair and wrapped his arms around Vale's now shaking form, pulling the small boy into his arms and sitting back on the chair. Edward ran his nimble fingers through the spiky black hair and rocked him back and forth while he sobbed.

"I'm so sorry!" Vale cried into Edward's shirt. His fingers were wrapped around Edward's shirt sleeve like it was the only thing in the world keeping him alive.

"DO YOU SEE WHAT THAT ASSHOLE DID TO HIM?" Edward snarled, clutching Vale harder to his chest, "DO YOU SEE?" Esme enveloped her son and his mate into a timid hug.

"Edward, you need to forget about it. There's nothing you can do now. You need to be there for Vale and help him. That's all there's left to do." Edward shrugged her away.

"No. I'll kill him. I kill the person, no, the scum that did this to _my_ mate. Vale's name has never been truer. It _was_ a mistake hurting him. I'm going to make that dick regret doing this if it's the last thing I do." And as happy at those words as he was, Vale couldn't get past what Edward had said about his name. He gave it a new meaning. One that didn't make him worthless. Edward had finally freed him from the last thing linking him to his were no words he could use to express just how amazing that was.


	9. VERY IMPORTANT READ!

Saturday, November 27, 2010

3:01 p.m.

Dearest Readers,

First, I would like to apologize profusely for not updating in (fuck, well now, it's been a year or two, hasn't it?) …a while. As much as I wish I had a valid excuse, I don't. The reason I haven't written anything in so long is because I had completely lost interest in this story, unfortunately.

However, don't fret! This does not mean the story is over! Far from it, actually. In fact, I am, as you read this, rewriting the story. What? Yes, lovelies, I am currently slaving away on my shiny mac computer, typing out a new and improved version of Dusk, renewed and completely revamped. The reason I am doing this is because I recently rekindled my love for twilight/harry potter slash fanfiction, and in the midst of my new obsession, I remembered this story that I started back when I was in seventh grade. Now that I am in high school, a freshman to be exact, my writing style has severely changed, hopefully for the better. So I have decided to re-write Dusk.

I started rewriting the first chapter this afternoon, right after I finished writing this apology. The story is going to be undergoing a few major changes, namely, many characters are being repurposed, and the story is going to more closely follow the cannon of Stephanie Myer's Twilight. However, the plot is going to differ majorly. I am also going to be fixing many clerical errors in the original telling of the story, I will be trying to make the characters, as well as the plot, more realistic, and the time changes will be greatly extended. (Was I the only one who thought Vale's rape and subsequent relationship with Edward went way too fast?)

If you are interested in the new version of Dusk, you can read it starting tonight at 12:00 midnight, Mountain time. It will be available to read on my fanfiction author's page, which you can navigate to by clicking my username above. The story will be under the same title, however, the description will have changed. I am going to leave the old Dusk up for a week or two, until the new Dusk has progressed enough that I feel it necessary to delete old Dusk.

Again, I apologize for the delay. I hope you all love the new story as much as I am hoping I will.

Sincerely, the author

T.R.T.


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